The Small Moments
by Trajectory of Simplicity
Summary: Dedicated to the original 8 and the small moments between them. One-shot/drabble/vignette collection.
1. Felix and Jenna: Siblings

A/N: I have a different view of how I wanted to take this collection. So I completely scrapped it. And tried some different things out. I hope you appreciate the changes.

This collection is only friendship never romance.

Please enjoy.

Jenna and Felix: Siblings

Jenna plays with a fireball she had conjured up from her own Psynergy. She's seen Sheba do that once, except the Jupiter Adept had conjured up a mini-cyclone with which she had done some neat tricks. Sheba also said that it helped her maintain control of her Psynergy and is therefore a good training technique, but Jenna thinks she's just trying to make excuses for being bored. Jenna tries to emulate the tricks she saw Sheba pulling off, but she soon realizes that she is not as dexterous as the blond-haired youth is; she decides not to potentially burn down the whole ship and allows the fireball to disappear into the air.

Jenna almost regrets doing so because she is immediately hit with an extreme case of boredom. The Mars Adept tries to endure the boredom, but gives up very soon, so she gets up and leaves her cabin to search the ship until she finds what she is looking for. Felix is sitting on the floor of the common area, sharpening his weapons. He stops what he is doing for a second to acknowledge her presence, and then goes back to what he was doing.

The red-haired teen curls up next to him on the floor and proceeds to take a nap. She pretends not to notice that he is sharpening her weapons, too.


	2. Ivan and Garet: Hotheads

Ivan and Garet: Hotheads

Garet doesn't think much, Ivan notices.

He and Garet are sitting underneath a tree, peacefully eating their dinner. The pair does not talk, but neither minds the silence much. This is one of the things Ivan is grateful for when it comes to Garet. He may be a reckless oaf, but he is a considerate oaf. He doesn't need words as often as people might think and he can enjoy a pleasant silence. Ivan thinks this has a lot to do with the fact Garet is best friends with Isaac and Isaac is silence manifest.

Ivan is enjoying the peace and the good weather when, all of a sudden, Garet stands up, his food falling off his lap and onto the grass. He leans over Ivan like an umbrella.

The young Wind Adept opens his mouth to ask what in the _world _is he doing when he hears a very loud and distinct crack from the branches above and an even louder thud as a falling branch lands directly on Garet's head. The red-haired boy clutches his head with a cry of pain and collapses onto the ground.

Ivan watches the boy writhing on the grass in agony. "You know, if you wanted to protect me from the branch, you could have knocked it out of the way or burned it up with your Psynergy. You didn't have to let it hit you."

The Fire Adept groans before saying, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just hurry up and get Mia." He cradles his throbbing head. Ivan sets his food aside and complies, leaving his ailing companion squirming on the floor in pain.

Nope. Garet doesn't think much at all.


	3. Isaac, Garet, and Jenna: Ease

Isaac, Garet, and Jenna: Ease

Isaac is torn. For weeks now, he had been dreading this moment. He had nightmares over it, had agonized over it, had stayed up all night worrying about it. Isaac stares at the group on the other side of the room, feeling the presence of his teammates next to him. His group versus their group. For months, this had been the status quo. Felix running, Isaac pursuing. Always at odds. And yet, here they are, standing on opposite sides of the room, joining forces.

Hama's words are final. They still have a job to do. There is no time for hesitation or worry. They need to save the world.

Isaac understands that. He does. But after months of nightmares and agonizing and worrying over this moment he can't help but feel so…unfinished. Everyone says words. They're glad they sorted out their difference. They're thankful they don't have to fight. Isaac contributes, too, because he thinks that's what a leader must do in this situation. But his eyes are trained on Jenna and Felix. They are his best friends. Were his best friends. He doesn't know anymore. They feel like strangers now. Felix is unreadable and Jenna refuses to meet his eyes. Isaac steals a glance at Garet and knows that his best friend (his real one, the one he's certain about) feels the same. And no words of gratitude or thankfulness can quell that uncertain feeling in his chest.

But Hama is right. There's no time. They must move. Isaac's group leaves first. Ivan, then Mia, then Garet, then Isaac. Isaac is last because he wants to hope that maybe he'll see something in their eyes. Or that they might look at him. They don't. So, Isaac doesn't either. He feels heavy and he knows Garet feels the same way. He and Garet are about to step out of the house when Jenna stops them.

"Isaac! Garet!"

They turn toward her. She is looking back. Her face is unreadable, but they wait for her anyway because they want to believe they're still friends. Best friends. She doesn't say anything, just stands there for a moment. Isaac wonders if she only called them just to say their names. If that's the case, he doesn't mind. But still. She slowly walks up to them, taking step by agonizingly slow step. When she reaches them, she looks them in the eyes for a second, and then throws her arms around them both. She draws them closer to her body. Isaac buries his face in her shoulder and breathes in her scent. He thinks Garet does the same.

He doesn't know how long they stand there, but when they finally let go, Isaac feels a thousand pounds lighter and he believes the other two feel that way too.


	4. Felix, Sheba, and Jenna: Learning

Felix, Sheba, and Jenna: Learning

The purple aura surrounding Sheba dispersed as the cyclone she created disappeared into the air, leaving behind a multitude of creatures, each of them unmoving. She heard Felix whistling and Jenna cheering and Kraden clapping behind her and she turned around to beam at them. She learned that move the day before and though it had taken her a while to find the power to create and maintain a cyclone of that magnitude, she had mastered it eventually and was glad her companions appreciated her effort.

Speaking of learning, Sheba was learning a lot on this journey. For example, she learned how to properly wield a staff and a mace. She learned how to side step an attack while also readying her own. She learned that while she cannot match the strength of Felix's sword or the persistence of Jenna's flames, her Psynergetic reserves are far more vast than either of them. With pride, she learned that she could also outmaneuver and outsmart nearly any enemy.

Sheba was learning about other things, too, not pertaining to battle. She learned that Jenna scratches her head when she's nervous, Felix furrows his brow right before he unleashes a Psynergetic attack, and Kraden strokes his chin when in deep thought. She learned that they are all children fighting an adult's battle and that there is not much to laugh or be happy about on this journey. And, while Sheba understood that this is her reality now, it still didn't sit well with her, so she decided that she would make her own excuses. She soon learned that the others appreciated this, as well.

As the group continued on their journey, the golden-haired girl slowly was reminded of her own limits, which was a hard lesson to learn. She was not used to travel and therefore needed more breaks than even old man Kraden did and she hated herself for it. But as she became more familiar with the feeling of fatigue, she also became more familiar with the faces Felix and Jenna make when they are concerned for her health. She associated her own depleting energy with Felix's knit eyebrows and Jenna's pursed lips, so she was not surprised when Felix demanded that the group stop to set up camp for the night.

After Kraden cooked dinner, Felix and Jenna sat on either side of Sheba. The Wind Adept was not foolish; she had an inkling of what they will say.

"Sheba, you're not used to traveling and I know that this journey has been really hard for you, especially since this is really the first time you've ever been outside of Lalivero," Jenna began. "Felix and I are much more seasoned at this and, well…it's not to say that we don't need your powers because we totally do, but…ahhhh, how do I say this?" She scratched her head.

"Jenna and I have a lot more stamina than you," Felix continued for his sister. "We think it would probably be best if you left the fighting to us two. We won't be able to handle every monster that comes our way, so you could help us if we ever find ourselves in a tight situation, but, other than that—"

"No! No way!" Sheba cut him off, shaking her head furiously. "I'm fighting, too!"

The siblings tried to protest. It really is in her best interest, they said. But Sheba refused to listen to their arguments. Throughout this journey away from home, she was learning that tomorrow is not an obligation, but must instead be fought for, every day. So she will not stop fighting. Not now. Not ever. Because tomorrow was worth fighting for.

It took them a while, but eventually they understood.


	5. Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia: Waterfalls

Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia: Waterfalls

She cannot believe she's on her period.

Mia groans into her pillow as her womb sends her another signal of pain. Her head is throbbing and she feels incredibly uncomfortable. Every move she makes…it's like a waterfall in her pants. Literally. Turn over on her side: waterfall. Sit up: waterfall. Stand up: waterfall. Take one step forward: waterfall. Cough: waterfall. Sneeze: waterfall.

She is glad the napkin she's using is so thick.

Mia feels awful. She is angry with herself for being so...womanly and vulnerable. Her group is wasting precious time allowing her to recover. If only she could be a little bit stronger she could just suck up the pain and go about her day. She may be a bit irritable and short-tempered, but she'll try to keep it under control. She should just get up, out of the bed, maybe change her napkin, and then...

_"ARGH!"_ Another cramp. Nevermind.

Mia groans as she turns on her side, going into fetal position, trying to massage her womb. She just _has_ to be a woman, doesn't she? The gods just _couldn't_ make her a man, couldn't they? She is a burden to the group. She's useless and vulnerable. They will fail in their mission because of her. She will never find Alex and she will never be able to make amends. She will disgrace her entire clan. Maybe she should just kill herself...

Mia shakes her head vigorously underneath her blanket. No! That's the period talking. She would _never_ think like that. She's perfectly fine as a girl. It'll just be for today, and then this will never happen again.

Until next month, that is.

At the idea of next month, Mia groans once again and (once again) enters a depressed stupor.

_No!_ she tells herself. _No more negativity! There's a lot to be grateful for._

And it's true. At least she's at an inn and not some random cave in the middle of nowhere. The group had just reached Xian and the innkeeper's wife is kind enough to check up on her regularly and give her some warm ginseng tea. "Ginseng tea is good for all ailments!" she had said. "Including those of a woman's period." Mia is not entirely convinced seeing as to how she's had 3 cups already and her pain still has not subsided. But she does enjoy the taste and the warmth of the tea helps to calm her down.

_Right. There's a lot to be thankful for, _she repeats in her head.

A knock on the door catches her attention. "Come in!" she says as she forces herself into a sitting position. She smooths out her hair to make herself a little bit more presentable. She does so with much chagrin, however. She would rather cuddle into her blanket and shut out the world forever.

The door opens to reveal her traveling companions and Mia groans inwardly. Her stomach is still cramping and her headache still has not subsided. Conversation is definitely not on her to-do list. She sinks back under her covers.

They stroll in, one by one: Isaac first, then Garet, then Ivan. They murmur greetings at her as they pull up chairs beside her bed.

There is an awkward silence between them. The boys look at each other, unsure of what to do. Then, Isaac speaks up. "How're you feeling?"

"Awful," Mia replies bluntly underneath her blanket. She is already getting irritated. Couldn't they just leave her alone?

Another awkward silence. The boys look at each other once again. Mia can practically feel their hesitation. Why are they wasting her time like this? She is so not in the mood for awkwardly paced conversation. Mia prays they would just go away and leave her so that she could suffer alone.

"We found a school in this village, not too far away from the inn that teaches this fighting technique called Ki," Isaac says. "It looks a lot like Psynergy, but it's also kind of different."

Usually, Mia would be all ears at this discovery, but her head is throbbing and she is not up to talking right now. All she could manage was: "That's great, Isaac."

The blue-eyed warrior, bless his soul, is oblivious to the hint of irritation in Mia's voice. He continues, "We were thinking of checking it out."

"Okay. You go do that." Mia makes sure to be a little bit more assertive with her tone. However, the boys are still oblivious.

"But we didn't want to go without you. It wouldn't be the same. We were wondering if you were feeling better so that you can come with us."

"Look, I'm really not up to it. You guys can go on your own." Her tone is definitely irritated. Mia is not exerting anymore effort at being civil.

One would think the boys would get the picture and leave her alone. Obviously, she is being a saint, putting up with their forced conversation. Obviously, she is being an angel, not blowing up in their faces. Obviously, she is putting up with heaven and hell in order to control her temper.

The boys look at each other once again, unsure of what to do. Awkward silence.

Then, Garet speaks. A little hesitant, but still determined, he says, "Hey, Mia. What's it like being on your period?"

It's a relatively innocent question and she knows that. Under normal circumstances, she would answer it without getting so irritated. But she really can't do this. Her stomach is aching, she's gassy, she's hungry, her head hurts, and there's a waterfall in her pants. What else is she to do?

She immediately throws the covers off of her and looks Garet straight at his face, innocent curiosity in his eyes. Her hair is probably all over the place and she probably looks like Ivan's Cyclone attack had just moseyed all over her face, but she refuses to care. All her usual fretting over her outward appearance goes out the window in the face of her frustration. And she starts talking, slowly and deathly quiet.

"You wanna know what being on your period is like?" She says, never breaking eye contact with Garet. "It's awful. Terrible. Your head feels like it had just been shoved into a meat grinder and then you were forced to take a test on the history of Weyard. Your stomach feels like there's a knife twisting constantly into your gut. You want to fart and poop, but you feel nasty so you don't. One moment you want to eat everything in sight, the next moment, you're crying in the corner because you feel fat. You want to destroy everything that is not a blanket or a pillow and all of a sudden you become the demon set out to ensure the doom of all mankind. And on top of all of that emotional and physical turmoil, there's a freaking waterfall in your pants. And every step you take, every move you make, every breath you breathe, that waterfall pours ten gallons worth of blood onto your clothes."

Mia leans close and narrows her eyes at the unfortunate red-haired Adept. "You wanna know what being on your period is like? _There it is._"

The three boys are speechless. Isaac is shocked. Ivan looks outright disgusted. Garet looks legitimately scared.

Mia scrutinizes the three boys for a full minute before Garet musters up the courage to speak again. "Man, that sucks."

"That sucks? _That __**sucks?**_" Mia shrieks. "Of course, it sucks! And women have to deal with that every. Freaking. Month."

Silence once again. Ivan trembles a little under Mia's glare.

He is the one who saves the situation. "Hey, Isaac, Garet, don't we need to...um...sharpen our swords or something? I think they were getting kind of dull..."

Garet immediately jumps on the wagon. "Oh yeah! Our swords! Yeah, they're dull. Really dull. And, you know...that's not good for the journey 'cause, you know, dull swords are like...yeah..."

Ivan and Garet jumps out of their chairs and starts going for the door. Isaac jumps up one second later and sprints after them.

"Wewon'tgototheschooltodaywe'lljustwaituntilyou're betterkbye!" he calls over his shoulder before he exits the room.

As soon as they are out of the room and the door shuts with a satisfying _click! _Mia immediately wraps herself in her cocoon of blankets.

After that day, the boys make sure to always leave Mia alone when she's on her period. And, just to be on the safe side, always leaves her a bunch of food to eat as well.

A/N: And they live happily ever after.

Can we just...appreciate women for a second? Yeah...okay.


	6. Isaac and Felix: Motivation

I got inspired by DropOfInk's _Catharsis._ It's a really great read; I suggest you all check it out!

Isaac and Felix: Motivation

After the merging of the two groups, Isaac had courteously and subtly conceded his leadership in favor of Felix, who was older and overall more experienced than he. Felix had, just as subtly, accepted Isaac's submission and as such, the status quo was established: Felix would be the leader whose judgment would be the final call, while Isaac was his right hand man and Piers not too far behind.

The first weeks had not been without awkwardness, that is to say, the two Venus Adepts just didn't know what to say to each other. What _could _they say that wasn't awkward enough? Sorry for chasing you and contemplating killing you? Sorry for forcing you to leave behind everything you love in order to come chase me and my ambiguous goals that, at first glance, seemed to bring about death and destruction for the entire world?

Yeah, not happening.

The awkwardness was only alleviated slightly by Piers' bright yet wise personality. Piers was a dream when it came to keeping the conversation going and the two Venus Adepts had welcomed his social nature for two reasons: they didn't wish to sit in their own awkwardness (and thereby instigate conflicts), and Piers was really just a great guy.

Today, however, Isaac and Felix were forced to go over maps and tactics without Piers as a buffer. The previous night, the ship had braved a particularly vicious storm; they cleared it without any major damage to the ship, but Piers, astute as he was, couldn't resist checking and re-checking the ship's condition, making minor repairs as he thought fit. Even now, it was already mid-day, the sky was clear and had been since midnight, and Piers was still below decks in some unknown part of the ship checking up on every aspect of the ship he could.

Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the laid-back day. The girls were in their cabins talking about whatever girls talked about (Mia had warmed up quite nicely to Jenna and Sheba, thank Sol). Garet and Ivan were commandeering the ship in Piers' absence, much to both their enthusiasm (Isaac could hear their laughter from where he was sitting and envied their carefree attitude). Kraden was in his own room, studying his alchemic books. Clear skies and calm ocean wasn't all that frequent and the group was more than willing to take advantage of the calm weather and pretend there wasn't an ominous goal looming over them in a dark cloud that had to do with saving the world.

Right. Saving the world. Isaac turned his attention back to his own situation.

The storm had forced the ship off course, so the two Venus Adepts were pouring over various maps, trying to find a way to get back. Piers' absence was almost tangible; the lack of conversation between the two was deathly awkward. However, neither boy took any initiative to quell it.

Isaac risked a sidelong glance at Felix, a question on his lips. He studied the Venus Adept and was surprised at how much he had changed from his childhood friend. His hair was longer, his shoulders wider, his eyes…sadder?

Isaac wondered at this observation, turning it over in his mind. Felix had suffered a lot, although…

"Spit it out." Isaac blinked in confusion and opened his mouth to say something, when Felix stopped him again. "I know you've got something on your mind, so spit it out."

Isaac stayed silent. Felix placed the map he had been holding on the table and turned his attention to the only other man in the room. He crossed his arms. "Well?"

"What's your motive, Felix?" Isaac blurted out.

Said man cocked an eyebrow at the blonde. Isaac continued. "Ever since you revealed yourself inside the inner sanctum in Mt. Aleph, you've been this unreadable entity. Neither Garet nor I could tell if you were a friend, an enemy, or something in between. Three years away from us and it was like our childhood together was indubitably erased."

Isaac stopped talking and shook his head, turning away slightly from the man in front of him. This man whom he shared so many memories. This man whose shared history was filled with laughter and innocence. This man who Isaac no longer knew.

"I chased you for months," he continued, "believing that I was preventing the world from its impending doom, thinking that reaching you would produce answers. But now, I'm here, in front of one of my closest friends, and not only do I learn that my cause was the wrong cause, but I realize that I'm so much more confused than I ever was."

Isaac let out a dry chuckle. He stared at the air in front of him as if acknowledging that the answer was right in front of him, yet was too blind to actually find it. "Who are you, Felix? What changed? Why are you a stranger to me now? You, who were once one of my dearest friends…why do you pursue what you pursue? What's your motive?"

Felix said nothing, staring in the same direction as Isaac, strands of his brown hair covering his eyes. Isaac glanced at the older man, trying to discern what he was thinking. He could not.

When Felix started talking, his voice was slow and careful. "Three years is enough to change a person completely." He paused and shook his head, turning to look at Isaac. "You say I'm a stranger to you now. I'm a stranger to myself, while you…haven't changed at all." Felix laughed softly at this, as if scoffing at the irony of it all.

"Garet hasn't changed. Kraden hasn't changed. Neither has Jenna. All of you haven't changed one bit. Each and every single one of you is exactly as I remember, right down to the shade of your hair.

"I've changed a lot, Isaac. And I may be a stranger to you, but you will never be a stranger to me."

Isaac said nothing and allowed those words to sink in, turning them over in his head, letting them boil.

When Felix spoke up again, Isaac snapped out of his reverie. "You asked me why I pursue what I pursue. What my motive is."

At that moment, Sheba, Jenna, and Mia burst through the door. They were giggling at something funny Sheba had said. They waved cheerily at the pair before exiting to go outside, calling Garet and Ivan's names. Felix watched them go, right up until the door clicked shut behind them.

"Them." Felix smiled.

Isaac cocked his head. "Them?"

"In Prox, three years ago, I was given an ultimatum: I help or we die. My parents, your dad, and me. At the time, I could care less whether or not I was hurdling the world toward its destruction. I just wanted to save them. I just wanted to go home."

Felix stopped and smiled bitterly at the ceiling, leaning back into his chair. "When Saturos and Menardi died, I was ready to abandon the mission. I traveled through the Eastern Sea slowly, hesitating to continue the journey. But then, we went to Lemuria." Felix shook his head at the memory as if still in disbelief. "You know, when they told me that the world needed alchemy, that it would wither away otherwise, I didn't care. I really didn't."

The brunette glanced at Isaac's shocked expression. "Don't get me wrong. I was concerned, of course, but my head was screaming 'to hell with all of this!' I was ready to tell the King to stick it up the Great Serpent's ass and find some other proxy to save the world. And then I looked behind me."

Felix paused and looked at Isaac. "Do you know what I saw? Exactly. _Them._ I saw Jenna, Kraden, and Sheba. In my mind's eye, I saw Piers, then you and Garet, and finally my parents. Then, I knew what I had to do.

"I decided to save the world."

Before Isaac could respond, Felix went back to the maps, but the Venus Adept's words stayed with him for a while yet.

When the party disembarked from their ship to explore Magma Rock, everyone noticed it. Isaac and Felix were an unstoppable force, a fire in every move they made. An untamed storm in every contraction of muscle.

When Garet questioned him about it later, Isaac thought of Felix and replied, "Nothing. I just found a new motivation."

**A/N: **_Catharsis_ by DropOfInk really is great. I don't know if you can actually see the influence, but I think his story really inspired this one-shot; the influence is obvious to me, of course xD


	7. Piers and Ivan: Anticipation

Piers and Ivan: Anticipation

Ivan can feel it. The air is charged all around him, the wind is picking up speed, the ocean waves are getting bigger as each second passes. Ivan approaches Piers whose firm hands grip the ship's tiller.

"You are about to tell me that there is a storm coming, right?" Piers says before Ivan could say anything.

He stops. "How'd you know?"

"The ocean is getting restless."

The blond-haired youth nods. "I'll go tell the others."

In a flash, he is gone and Piers is left alone. He eyes the approaching clouds in the horizon. They look ominous, foreboding. Piers calculates that they will approach those clouds before nightfall in a few hours.

Ivan returns to report. "Everyone's getting the ship ready for the storm."

Piers nods and stares into the horizon.

"Do you need me to get you a cloak? I know you have to stay out here."

"You could get me a cloak," Piers says. Then, he turns to the young Wind Adept with a large grin on his face. "Or you could not."

Ivan returns the grin. "I guess I won't then."

"It will be a big one tonight," Piers states. He gives Ivan room as the Jupiter Adept grips the tiller alongside the aqua-haired sailor.

"I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

A/N: So far, this fan fiction has been very slanted to a select few characters, and I apologize for that. Allow me to remedy it over the next chapters :)


	8. Mia and Ivan: Promise

Mia and Ivan: Promise

Neither Ivan nor Mia was much of a fighter. Ivan preferred to stay at a distance, relying on Psynergy to end his foes. Mia didn't really fight at all, simply focusing on healing her companions. She was good at outmaneuvering her foes; she was agile and light-footed, so when she was targeted, she would either move gracefully away, or distract the enemy with some ice Psynergy. Both Ivan and Mia were adequate at defending themselves, knowing quite a few moves to take down their enemies, but they mostly left the heavy duty attacking to the other boys in the group. Neither Isaac nor Garet minded; it was just the status quo.

However, one day, everything changed. They were on an unknown island and called it Crossbone Isle, which was filled with countless treasures. There were enemies and puzzles, and as they descended down the steps, each obstacle got harder and harder, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. With ease, they breezed through the puzzles and conquered their enemies. In a way, Mia thought, it was kind of fun. Finally, however, after what had seemed like the twenty-thousandth flight of stairs, they reached the final floor, which had nothing but a few treasures and an abandoned ship. They decided to explore; after all, what could possibly happen?

It was a big mistake.

The monster that had attacked them was beyond anything they had fought before. It was decked, head to toe, in black armor and wielded an unbelievably large broadsword. A red glint shone from the dark space within the beast's visor. As soon as she laid eyes on it, Mia knew that this was no normal monster they were facing and this was going to be a hard battle.

She was right, and she desperately wished she hadn't been. The armored beast had lightning speed, inhuman strength and no mercy. As the battle dragged on, Mia could tell that Isaac and Garet were getting tired, while the monster showed no signs of weakening. She tried to encourage them with her healing spells while, on the other side of the battlefield, Ivan supported them with his Psynergy. Despite their efforts, Mia didn't know if they would make it out of this one alive.

Mia's fears were confirmed when Isaac took a vicious blow to the stomach, flew across the ship and landed head first against the railing. She screamed his name as Ivan ran to his side. She tried to do the same, but the monster blocked her way. Its sword barely missed her neck as she immediately turned the other way to run. She saw Garet dash past her to confront the monster. "Mia! You and Ivan take Isaac and get out of here! I'll hold him off."

Her heart dropped. Mia knew what this meant. It meant that there was no longer any more hope for them to win. It meant that they had lost. They had failed. Tearfully, she screamed for Garet not to, that he'll die, that everything will be for naught, that there was still a way. But all he did was look back at her, grin, then turn away. He swung his sword at the ungodly creature in front of him.

Mia thought she had known fear. She thought the feeling was familiar to her, after traversing treacherous landscapes, conquering countless dungeons, confronting thousands of enemies. But she was wrong. She hadn't known fear. Because the sick feeling in her gut she felt when faced with a terrifying sea monster was nothing compared to the cold, cold feeling that tore apart her insides when she saw her friend collapse to the ground, unmoving.

Mia looked up, past the monster, at the remaining member of her party. Ivan was standing, the unconscious Isaac crumpled on the floor next to him. They locked eyes. Ivan gripped his rapier. Mia raised her mace.

Neither Ivan nor Mia was much of a fighter. But like _hell_ were they about to let their friends die without a fight.


	9. Felix and Piers: Ships

Felix and Piers: Ships

Felix takes the tiller and Piers hangs around on the deck, leaning against the railing. The stars twinkle serenely in the night sky and the ocean breeze, though cold, feels almost motherly compared to the storm they had weathered the night before. The sea spray blows across their faces and their clothes become damp, but they hardly mind. Piers lights a pipe and the smoke dances and disappears into the wind. They keep their eyes ahead, to the destination that may or may not be waiting for them. The uncertainty is there, stifling and tangible, but the promise of adventure beckons their souls. For this moment they are just two sailors, following their hearts.


	10. Isaac and Sheba: Lazy

Isaac and Sheba: Lazy

It's Isaac's turn to be the lookout, so he proceeds to climb the ladder to the crow's nest to relieve Sheba of the position. When he reaches the top, he finds said Wind Adept sleeping on the floor, leaning against the mast of the ship. Isaac wonders if he should be mad that Sheba was asleep while on duty, but he decides not to be. Instead, he takes off his cape and places it over Sheba's sleeping body. The young Jupiter Adept mumbles something and pulls the cape closer around her. Isaac chuckles quietly. He thinks that maybe a nap isn't such a bad idea.


	11. Felix, Isaac, and Sheba: Contagious

A/N: Sequel to "Lazy".

Felix, Isaac, and Sheba: Contagious

Felix wonders why Sheba didn't come down after having been relieved of lookout duty by Isaac. He decides to check up on them. He thinks that it's probably nothing, but one could never be too diligent on a journey like this. When he reaches the crow's nest, Felix is surprised at what he sees: Sheba and Isaac are _both_ sleeping on duty. Felix wants to be angry, but then he sees the cape Isaac had thrown over Sheba's body, and loses heart. Felix wonders what to do and thinks for a moment.

The Earth Adept takes off his cape and places it over Isaac's body before sitting down next to his right-hand man. He trusts in the strength of his companions. They don't need a lookout right now.


	12. Sheba and Garet: Hunting

Sheba and Garet: Hunting

"Hothead."

"Twerp."

"Clumsy."

"Shrimp."

"You hair smells."

"You've got small eyes.

"You've got no brain."

"If I had no brain, I couldn't be living anymore, _idiot._"

"It was a _joke_, moron."

"Well, your jokes suck."

"Not as much as you do at dancing."

Garet's ears turn as red as his hair and he shouts, "How the hell do you know about that?!"

Sheba only laughs and skips away. She had thought that there wasn't much to laugh about in this journey, so she had decided in the beginning that she would find excuses to laugh, even if it was by herself. With Garet here, however, the laughter comes easily because he is the most loveable and bumbling fool she had ever met and she feels as though she doesn't have to go hunting anymore.


	13. Felix and Ivan: Tenacious

Felix and Ivan: Tenacious

Ivan isn't buff or burly or strong. He can't wield broadswords or axes. Felix knows that if they were to start wrestling, he could beat the shrimpy Wind Adept in seconds.

So _why_ in the hell is he so thoroughly beating Felix in a fight?

Felix curses as once again, his sword meets air. A force rams into him from behind and he is thrown several feet forward, onto his stomach. A long string of profanities leave his lips.

"What's wrong? Feeling a bit under the weather?" Ivan teases as he watches Felix struggle to get up. However, as soon as the Earth Adept stands up fully, another unbelievably strong force crashes into his side and he is thrown onto the ground again.

"Come on, Felix. This can't be _all _you can do."

The Venus Adept grins as he once again picks himself up off the ground. If Ivan wants to fight with taunts and tricks, then Felix will give him a run for his money.


	14. Jenna and Mia: Kindred

Jenna and Mia: Kindred

Jenna and Garet are sitting in the common area, talking to each other when Mia enters the room. She searches for a place to sit and gulps when she realizes that the only place where there is room for her is next to Jenna. It's not that Mia doesn't like Jenna or anything. It's just…watching Jenna singlehandedly take down three Turtle Dragons with barely a scratch was more than a surprise. Mia concludes that Jenna is just as deadly with a rapier as Garet is with an axe, resulting into one very intimidating female Fire Adept.

Mia wants to punch herself. It's foolish to be so intimidated by someone when she doesn't even know her. Mia takes a deep breath and plops into the seat right next to the Fire Adept. Jenna is too caught up in her conversation with Garet to notice Mia's presence. Mia can't help but feel a little left out.

A moment later, Isaac comes crashing into the room. "_Garet!"_

"Huh? Wha—"

"What the hell did you do to my book?"

Garet's face turns pale. "That book…was _yours? _But it's a romance—"

"Who cares what it is? Where the hell did you put it?"

"I, uh…threw it out."

The room felt pregnant from the following silence. Garet is the first to snap out of it. He proceeds to run away.

Isaac pursues him. "Damn it, Garet, I was on the last chapter!" Within seconds, they're gone.

The two females are the only ones left to try to make sense of what just happened.

Jenna is the one who speaks first. "Isaac and Garet are…"

"…huge dorks," Mia finishes.

The Fire Adept turns to look at the Water Adept next to her. She smiles. Mia returns it.

The blue-haired cleric decides that Jenna has a very pleasant smile. It wouldn't hurt to put in some effort to see that same smile more often.


	15. Isaac and Garet: Bookworm

A/N: Companion/sequel to "Kindred".

Isaac and Garet: Bookworm

Garet was glad that he was _finally_ able to lose Isaac. Man, when that boy wants something, he does not give up.

The red-haired Fire Adept sits down in his cabin room, reaches underneath his bed and pulls out the novel that he found on Isaac's nightstand. Garet had thought that the book would be really lame (anything with the words "everlasting" and "love" in the title is _bound _to be awful), but the Venus Adept really does have great taste in books because even though it's title is truly something terrible (really, "Everlasting Love"? Really?), the story's absolutely addicting. Garet decides that he will give his friend his book back, but only once he has finished it himself.

He is at the part where the main protagonist finds out his fiancé was cheating on him when Isaac calls to him from his doorway. "If you wanted to read the book, you could have asked me for it."

Garet does not lift his head. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"I still want to read that last chapter."

Garet sighs, closes the book, and offers it to his best friend. "Fine." Isaac takes it and leaves.

The next day, he hands the book to his red-haired companion. Garet doesn't even thank him. Isaac shakes his head and smiles. Who knew his fiery-tempered friend was a bookworm?

A/N: Thanks to Droory for the idea!


	16. Ivan and Sheba: Origins

Ivan and Sheba: Origins

"You might be Contigan as well."

Sheba snaps her head up and stares at the boy standing next to her. She had met Ivan barely two days ago, so she doesn't have much of an opinion of him, yet.

"If I was Contigan, then why didn't I learn a thing about my origins when I went there?"

Sheba waits for a reply, but Ivan remains silent. The pair goes back to staring at the sea.

The one who breaks the silence is Ivan. "Maybe it doesn't matter where you're from."

Sheba stares at the blond boy again. He stares back. A part of her wants to be indignant. Of _course_ it matters where she's from. But another part of her thinks of Felix, Jenna, Kraden, and Piers and agrees.

"You know? I think you're right."

She didn't have much of an opinion of Ivan before, but now she does.


	17. Garet and Piers: Potential

Garet and Piers: Potential

"But he's a _Fire_ Adept."

"And he's so _clumsy._"

"He doesn't know how to think!"

Garet ignores the disapproving statements and the alarming expressions and takes Piers up on his offer to learn how to steer the ship. Granted, his companions do have very valid concerns (Garet is quite aware of his own shortcomings), but the red-haired young man knows exactly who he is and from the grin on the captain's face, he is sure that Piers knows it, too.

So even though Garet is a Fire Adept and he is clumsy and brash and _surrounded by water,_ he shocks everyone by becoming an expert at steering the ship within minutes. The only one who is not surprised is Piers because the grinning Lemurian understands.

Garet surprises people. It's what he does.


	18. Piers and Jenna: Gentleman

Piers and Jenna: Gentleman

With Felix, Piers is the best kind of bro. They steer the ship together, smoke pipes together, and drink rum together (although they never get drunk; Felix is adamant about maintaining his sobriety and Piers is far too conscientious about keeping his ship safe to lose his good judgment). They swap stories, get into debates, and sometimes, Jenna believes that they are actually twins separated at birth because the level of understanding they have with each other is unearthly, to say the least.

With Sheba, he's a wonderful older brother, or maybe a sort of doting uncle. He protects her, teaches her, guides her, laughs with her. Jenna sometimes finds Sheba, early in the morning, sleeping against Piers's leg as he steers the ship, the Mercury Adept's cloak wrapped carefully around her. Upon asking her about what they did later that day, Sheba says that Piers tells her stories, magical stories of sailors of old and adventures long forgotten.

With Kraden, he is an astute pupil. A fellow scholar who shares both knowledge and insight, challenges Kraden's views and expands his own. Jenna remembers leaving them to their discussions late at night, comes back in the morning, and finds them still talking about that same subject.

However, with Jenna, he is an absolute gentleman, ready to defend her at all costs, help her in any situation, and relieve her of any menial labor that may fall to her. Jenna despises it because here they are, facing a large group of vicious mermen and Jenna's not getting any action _at all_.

"Jenna! Get back!" the Water Adept says.

The Mars Adept rolls her eyes. Enough is enough. Completely ignoring his cries of protest, she dashes past him, throws herself into the group of monsters, and proceeds to give all of them a sound beating. Within minutes, each merman is left on the deck of the ship, dead.

Jenna sheathes her sword and flips her hair. She turns toward Piers. "Get back, you say?"

The sailor is speechless. Felix appears behind him and says, "Told you she doesn't need protecting." Piers grins.

He never stops being a gentleman. But he does gain quite the sparring partner. Jenna decides that this is a good compromise.


	19. Felix and Garet: Confrontation

Felix and Garet: Confrontation

Garet stares at Felix from across the room. Felix stares back. It is quiet.

"I still haven't forgiven you, you know," Garet says after a while.

Felix grunts. "I don't need your forgiveness to do what I need to do."

The Mars Adept stands up, indignant, his temper flaring. "What made you think Isaac and I weren't strong enough? Couldn't you have had a little bit of faith? Couldn't you _try_ to believe in us? We were best friends!"

"I didn't want to drag you all into this!" Felix counters, matching Garet's anger. "I knew it was going to be hard, I knew it was going to hurt. You seriously believe that I wanted to let you guys be involved in something as dangerous as this? I wanted to do it on my own! I wanted to _suffer_ on my own!"

"It's not your battle to suffer through! This involved not just your parents, but Isaac and Jenna's too! And if it involves you three, then it involves me! It's not up to you to make those kinds of calls!"

"Yes, it is up to me! I _loved_ you guys! I _cared _about you! I wanted to _protect _you!" Felix closes his eyes and lets out a breath, dropping his voice to a lower volume. "I still do and that won't ever change."

The room is silent. The two stare each other down. Garet is the first to break eye contact. "Well you have a strange way of showing it," he says.

Garet walks out of the room and leaves Felix to himself. The Earth Adept lets out another breath and hangs his head.

The next day, Garet approaches him when Felix is steering the ship. "I still haven't forgiven you, you know."

Felix stares straight ahead. "I know."


	20. Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers: Stars

Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers: Stars

Lemuria is beyond these waters. Piers grits his teeth at the thought. He remembers a woman with aqua hair just like his and a smile as bright as the sun and his heart clenches in his chest.

A hand touches his shoulder. A voice calls his name. "You'll get home, I promise."

Piers thinks of that woman's smile and nods, unable to speak. The whirlpools swirl ominously before him and the waters grow increasingly restless. Felix's hand does not move from his shoulder, reassuring him. Piers does not know if his reassurance works; his heart still feels cold and his stomach is tied up in a million knots.

"The mast is furled. She's ready for the storm." Jenna appears next to Piers and stares at the merciless waters before her. "I am, too, in case you were wondering."

A few moments later, Sheba stands next to Felix and says, "Kraden's all holed up in his room, reading. He'll be fine, he says." Piers wants to nod, wants to acknowledge them and their effort, wants to thank them for their help, but his head is currently overwhelmed by the flood of nostalgia and his throat is clogged from the words he can't say.

There is a long silence as Piers tries to get his voice to work again. But once it does work, all that Piers is capable of saying is, "Lemuria is just past here."

"We'll get you there," Felix vows. Jenna and Sheba agree. They all smile, reassuring him.

Piers stares at his companions and their confident smiles and is reminded of the brightness of his mother's love and he feels a little ridiculous because his eyes tear up. But he slowly allows himself to smile back and once he does, his stomach unties itself and a certain calmness envelops his heart.

"So, Captain. Shall we go to the stars?" Sheba asks, teasing.

Piers grips the tiller and smirks. With the four of them, Piers thinks, they can go to the stars, moon, _and_ sun, and they'll be sure to come back.


	21. Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia: Confusion

Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia: Confusion

"They definitely look like cats."

"Or birds. Cat-birds. This one, at least."

"I disagree. I think they look more like mice."

"No way! I mean, I would never want to cuddle with a mouse, but these…they're just so cute!"

"Cute? Man, girls have some weird ideas of cute."

"Oh be quiet, Garet."

"I'm just saying that they really don't look like something I'd cuddle with."

"I don't know. They're pretty cute to me."

"Not you, too, Ivan."

"What? I can't think something's cute?"

"Not if they're these weirdo things. I mean, c'mon, they can kill you within seconds by just standing there and thinking."

"We can do that, too."

"Yeah, but we're _people._ There's a difference."

"…Hey, guys? As much as I appreciate this conversation, we should go."

Isaac proceeds to walk toward the cave's exit. With a shrug, the rest of the group follows. The Jupiter Djinn sighs and is thankful for Isaac's intervention. It doesn't much like being stared at.


	22. Isaac and Jenna: Rain

Isaac and Jenna: Rain

It is raining, but Isaac sits outside anyway. Everyone else is inside the inn, where it is warm both in the rooms and in people's hearts. The inn has a porch, so Isaac doesn't get wet, but he is cold—very cold—and refuses to move from his spot.

Isaac thinks of Jenna and Felix and wonders if everything is going to change between them. He remembers Jenna fighting a group of Turtle Dragons and shudders. Jenna had always been a fierce and intimidating girl, but knowing that she was an actual threat when she handles a sword is simply terrifying. And Felix… There is something in the way Felix carries himself that exudes confidence, reliability, and strength. Felix had always been someone Isaac could count on, but now he's almost at a completely different level, like no matter how hard Isaac tried, he could never reach him. And, he doesn't really know why, but the thought makes Isaac unbearably sad.

Nothing's ever going to be the same again, Isaac realizes. He thinks about this statement and concludes that it's true. He wants to cry. But he doesn't.

He sits on the inn's porch, wrapped in a cold that penetrates both his skin and his heart. He watches the rain.

The door of the inn opens and a voice calls his name. "Isaac?"

He looks toward the visitor and puts a smile on his face, even though he doesn't really feel like smiling. "Hey, Jenna."

Said girl shivers. "It's cold out. Why don't you come inside?"

"I don't mind the cold," Isaac says. Isaac is lying, but he's not sure if Jenna can tell the difference anymore.

"That's a lie," She replies simply, but surely. "You hate the cold."

The certainty of her statement surprises Isaac. Maybe...maybe she's not a stranger. He looks at her. She looks back. Isaac finds himself hoping again.

The Venus Adept takes a while to answer, but when he does, he is smiling, and this time, for real. "You're right."

She smiles back. "Come on, I have a lot to tell you. And I'm sure you have a lot to tell me, too, but let's not do it out here. It's much warmer inside."

Isaac follows her in, accepting her invitation. It _is_ warm inside, but he's sure that it's not just because he got out of the rain.


	23. Sheba and Piers: Curiosity

Sheba and Piers: Curiosity

Sheba leans over the railing of the ship as she stares at the end of the world. Gaia Falls is a sight to behold. It goes down, down, down, and Sheba wonders where its descent ends, or if it has an end at all.

"Some say that Gaia Falls is a never-ending waterfall. Others say that it is a passage to another world," a voice from behind her says.

"And what do _you_ say?" Sheba asks, leaning further over the side of the ship. She really _can't_ see an end. The water just falls into nothing.

"I say that one day, I'll find out." Sheba turns toward the aqua-haired captain, whose grin is as wide as Weyard itself.

She returns the smile. "Well, then, I guess I'll be coming with you."


	24. Jenna, Sheba, and Mia: Assets

Jenna, Sheba, and Mia: Assets

Mia watches, fascinated, as Sheba and Jenna successfully charm a young man into giving them discounts for his food. Jenna flips her hair and laughs as Sheba giggles cutely at his lame jokes. Mia wonders how they do it; this young man is beyond obnoxious. If it were Mia, she would have paid for the costly food in full and left in annoyance a long time ago.

Briefly, Mia remembers a young man who had tried to hit on her once before when she was out shopping. He was a sloppy, disgusting male _animal_ with no inclination to personal hygiene and Mia shudders at the memory of him. Remembering his downright atrocious nature, Mia looks on with newfound respect to the young women before her. She watches with fascination as Jenna and Sheba haggle the young man into giving them a price well below half of what he originally offered.

They return to her with large bags of meat in tow, grinning.

Mia can't help it. "How do you guys do it?"

Sheba cocks her head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how do you put up with a guy like that long enough in order to get him to give you a discount? I could never do something like that…"

Jenna and Sheba glance at each other before Jenna tells the blue-haired Adept, "Really? We thought you'd be an expert at this. I mean, look at you, you're beautiful!"

Mia blushes deeply at Jenna's comment. "R-really? You think I'm pretty?"

Sheba nods enthusiastically. "Absolutely gorgeous!"

Mia grins at the ground and stutters, "Th-thank you… Truly…"

Jenna grins. "That's exactly how you would charm young men into giving you discounts!"

The Mercury cleric looks at the fiery female with confusion. "Huh?"

"Yeah, just use your gorgeous looks, act really shy, and flatter the boy with compliments," the young Wind Adept offers. "You don't have to actually _look_ at the guy, either. You can just stare at the ground and pretend that he's so awesome you can't look at him properly." Sheba nods her head sagely.

Jenna agrees. "And since you're incredibly pretty, you should be able to make any guy fall for you in no time!"

Mia laughs. "I guess I could try it out. I mean, if I don't have to actually _look_ at him or touch him, it should be fine."

With newfound confidence, the pretty Water Adept approaches a street vendor across the street and proceeds to make him fall in love with her.

It takes her two minutes; Sheba and Jenna had counted.


	25. Felix and Sheba: Familiar

Felix and Sheba: Familiar

Felix knows Sheba. He has been traveling with her for nearly three months now and he believes he has her figured out. She is young, yet mature. She is strong, yet fragile. She is mischievous, yet kind. She wears her heart on her sleeve and a smile on her mouth and if she is ever not doing so, then that is not the real Sheba and Felix will walk the ends of the earth to find her. He also knows that she adores him, almost worships him. He understands, even if she doesn't, that he is her brother, father, and friend all wrapped up into one and he'll be damned if he doesn't live up to her expectations. After all, he considers her just as much of a friend as Isaac or Garet and just as much a sister as Jenna. He promised to himself since the moment they started traveling together with Saturos and Menardi that he would protect her bright smile and shining personality, even if it meant his life.

One day, however, the group camps out within some woods off the beaten path, and Sheba is put on night watch. Felix wakes up in the middle of the night, for no real reason. He looks around and sees Jenna and Kraden fast asleep and Sheba sitting not too far away from him, watching the fire. He can't go to sleep, so he decides to relieve Sheba of her position. But when he tells her to get some rest, she doesn't budge.

Felix knows Sheba. He knows that she's not leaving for a reason, so he decides to wait. An owl hoots in the distance and crickets play their tunes in the trees.

"I'm scared, Felix."

The brunet says nothing and waits for her to continue. He hears her take a shaky breath before saying, "I'm really scared because this is the first time I've ever truly been outside of Lalivero and I'm so scared it _hurts_, Felix. I see a monster and I know I have to kill it; I know I have to if I want to survive, but all I want to do is run away and hide."

Sheba's voice cracks, but she keeps talking because she's desperate to let these feelings go. Felix decides that he doesn't like hearing her sound so melancholy. "I know I have to fight, I really do, but it's so painful being here!"

The Wind Adept begins trembling and Felix has an inkling of what will happen next, but he hopes it doesn't happen because Sheba is supposed to be bright. She's supposed to be shining. "A part me really doesn't want to go back to Lalivero because I don't want to be forced to be a 'Promised Child' again, but I miss the security, I miss the safety! I miss not worrying if I'll live the next day.

"I wish Saturos and Menardi had never taken me away."

At that last statement, Sheba bursts into tears, quietly, so as not to wake up the rest of the group. Felix had never seen Sheba cry, not once. Not when the Proxians kidnapped her, not when Menardi slapped her across the face for being disobedient, not even when she killed her first monster. She is bright and bubbly, mischievous and kind.

But here she is, tears streaming down her cheeks, looking small and sad and despondent and Felix isn't sure of what to do. So he does the one thing he _can_ do. He gathers her into his arms and waits for the young girl to stop crying. That her smile will come back. That she won't be sad anymore.

Felix knows Sheba. He knows that her eyes are not meant for tears and her mouth not meant for sobs. So he also knows that her sadness will end and she will be back to her old self. And even though her tears are tearing him apart right now, he will wait patiently until she smiles once more.

And Felix knows Sheba. He knows he won't have to wait long.


	26. Felix, Piers, Ivan, and Sheba: Tough

Felix, Piers, Ivan, and Sheba: Tough

"You're quite tough," Piers says to Felix after a while.

"They're the ones who asked for it," Felix replies. The two men are watching Ivan and Sheba spar in a clearing not too far away from their docked ship. Piers is a little concerned; this fight had started more than five hours ago and he's certain Felix hadn't given them a break since.

Felix watches Ivan perform a particularly tricky strategy on Sheba. Conjuring up a large cyclone, the young telepathic controls its size and shape to trap his opponent. The female Wind Adept counters with her own Psynergy to send a bolt of lightning right into the eye of the cyclone and break it up, effectively stopping the blond boy in his tracks. After clearing her path, she attacks the boy with her staff. Ivan blocks it with his rapier. A swift kick to her stomach catches her off guard and he sends a bolt of lightning flying toward her. She dodges away. The lightning bolt hits the ground, instead, and sends earth flying in all directions.

"They're quite agile," Piers notices. A part of him wants to suggest to Felix that he stop the battle before they both collapse in exhaustion. The other, more rational, part of him knows that his leader will not listen.

Felix nods in response before yelling, "Sheba! Your physical attacks are sloppy! Ivan! Don't give your opponent an opportunity to stop your Psynergy!"

The two in question do not respond, but continue attacking each other. Ivan strikes at her with his sword, but Sheba uses her wind to give her a boost into the air as she jumps and lands behind him. She shoots a bolt of lightning into his back.

"Ivan! Never lose track of your enemy!"

Said boy rolls away from another lightning bolt and stands up. The front of his shirt is covered in mud and dirt stains. Sheba doesn't look much better. They stare at each other, calculating, waiting. Sweat drips down the side of Ivan's face. Sheba pants into the air. They are barely holding onto their weapons.

"Felix, they've been at it for hours; they're at their limit," Piers says, concerned.

The Venus Adept ignores his friend and focuses on the battle in front of him. Sheba and Ivan are circling around each other. It is Sheba who attacks first. A burst of wind strikes Ivan in the stomach, but he recovers quickly and sprints toward the girl. He aims his sword at her side. She jumps to avoid it and kicks at his head. Ivan ducks and creates a cyclone underneath her. She spins out of control in the air and lands on her back a few feet away. Ivan jumps toward her, but his sword meets earth and Sheba is behind him once again.

Turning around, he barely manages to block the staff aimed at his head. A burst of Psynergy from her staff sends him careening into the ground. He does not get up. A moment later, Sheba collapses, too. They are both panting heavily.

Felix walks toward them. "That's all you guys can manage?"

The Jupiter Adepts are too tired to talk. It is Piers who answers for them.

"Come on, Felix. They've been working hard all afternoon."

He ignores his companion once more. Felix squats beside the collapsed Adepts. "Ivan, you let Sheba outmaneuver you and lost track of her far too many times. Sheba, even though you beat Ivan, you don't have nearly as much control over your Psynergy as he does. Work on the manipulation of your Psynergy. Ivan, work on your feet."

Felix stands up to walk away. The panting Wind Adepts stare at him as he goes, slight frowns on their faces. Piers rushes to their side to heal their wounds.

Piers knows that he's going to talk to Felix about this. He can't just train people and then leave them exhausted on the ground! But Piers guesses that he doesn't understand the Venus Adept as well as he thought he did because Felix turns back toward his pupils, a slight smile on his face. "Good work, today, you two."

Sheba and Ivan grin at Felix, then at each other. They will do this again tomorrow.

Piers chuckles as his healing Psynergy flows through the young Adepts. He'll be there tomorrow, too. After all, who else will heal their wounds after Felix's intense training?


	27. Mia and Garet: Lying

A/N: Prequel/companion for Ch. 12: "Hunting"

Mia and Garet: Lying

It was a simple Imilian dance. Garet had asked her about her culture, about festivals and dances. And so she showed him. He was the one who wanted to learn it and she was happy to teach him.

But Mia would never have guessed that the clumsy Fire Adept was _this_ bad at dancing.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," Garet says for the sixty thousandth time. Mia had never heard him apologize so many times. It was cute in a way, but also a little irritating.

"Garet, for the _thousandth_ _time_, stop apologizing. You're new at this, I don't expect you to do very well."

The Fire Adept opens his mouth to apologize again, but stops himself just in time. "Okay."

They begin dancing again. Mia thinks Garet is starting to get the hang of it and encourages him when pain shoots through her foot and she immediately pushes the warrior away, collapsing to the ground, cradling her foot. Garet rushes to her side, apologizing once again.

Mia tries to smile, but through the pain, it probably looks like a grimace. "It's alright, Garet." The red head is not convinced. Mia decides not to push it. "Well, why don't we just take a little break?"

"Man, dancing is hard," Garet says once he sits down next to Mia on the ground, who is massaging her foot.

Mia wants to say that it's not that hard; it's the simplest Imilian dance she knows. But she also knows that Garet is clumsy and saying that wouldn't be very fair to him.

"You're doing well, really." Mia doesn't usually condone lying, but it wouldn't hurt to stretch the truth now and again. Her fiery friend is silent. She suspects he doesn't believe her.

They sit in an awkward silence until Mia can't take it anymore.

"You know what? Let's try again." Mia stands and holds out her hand to the Mars Adept in front of her. Her foot is still throbbing a little, but she thinks she can smile through the pain (at least, if Garet doesn't step on her again).

Garet is hesitant. "But I suck at it." The statement is said so sadly that it makes the blue-haired cleric feel a little guilty.

"No, you don't. You just have to keep trying." Mia is lying through her teeth. She wonders if Garet can tell.

The red-haired boy is uncertain. "Are…you sure?"

Mia smiles widely at him, trying to convince him (and herself) of her sincerity. "Yes, I'm sure!"

Mia doesn't like lying, but the bright and grateful grin on the Fire Adept's face when he puts his hand in hers makes her believe that it's okay to lie, if only at times like these.


	28. Mia and Sheba: Gossip

A/N: Sequel to Ch. 12: "Hunting" and Ch. 27: "Lying"

Mia and Sheba: Gossip

Mia doesn't like gossip. Her experiences with the Imilian village girls were enough to make her hate the very thought of it. But with Sheba, for some reason, talking about others weren't so bad. The young Wind Adept is clever and understanding and exceptionally funny. And they can talk and talk and talk about the dirt on each of their companions. And they have a lot. Everyone trusts Mia so she is a fountain of information. And Sheba is…Sheba, so _of course_ she'd have dirt to tell, too. Mia thinks she hasn't had this much fun in a long time.

Mia doesn't like gossip, but she can't help but tell the young Laliveran about her little dance lesson with Garet. The Jupiter Adept had laughed the most at that story. How was Mia to know that Sheba would tease the red-haired Valean about it? The Mercury healer knows that she should feel bad for telling Sheba about Garet's horrific dancing when he had asked her not to, but after seeing Garet stuttering through his teeth with a red face and red ears, strangely, Mia doesn't mind one bit.


	29. Garet, Mia, and Jenna: Surprise

A/N: Sequel to Ch. 28: "Gossip".

Garet, Mia, and Jenna: Surprise

Garet never gets angry at Mia. Never. He gets angry at Isaac, Ivan, Felix…why, he even gets angry at Sheba and Jenna. So the fact that Garet is in front of her face, glaring _daggers_ at her, stops the Mercury cleric's heart from pumping and causes her blood to run cold, because Garet is never angry at Mia. Never.

"You promised you wouldn't tell anybody."

That is the cold, hard truth and it pierces through Mia's heart like a knife. She is incapable of speaking, the guilt clogging up her throat.

"But you did. And to _Sheba_ of all people!"

Mia can't look the Mars Adept in the face anymore. His accusatory glare is piercing through her chest, right into her very soul and she can feel herself coming undone. Garet was always kind, if not a little goofy and clumsy, to her. But now, it is not his grin, but his _wrath_ that is directed toward her. A wrath she never wanted to experience.

"I trusted you."

The phrase hangs in the air, suspended upon a thread of wistful hope.

"But I was wrong to."

The thread is cut and Mia is left staring at the ground, guilt-ridden. Garet waits for any words of defense that Mia could say. She doesn't say anything. She _can't_ say anything. Garet simply stands and glares at her.

Suddenly, Jenna bursts through the door and sees Garet's accusatory glare at Mia and Mia's heartbroken stare at the ground. She jumps to her own conclusions and immediately confronts the male Fire Adept, her finger at his chest and her face pushed right in front of his.

"What are you doing to Mia?!" she demands.

"Me?! I'm not doing _anything_ to her!" Garet shouts back.

Mia wants to object. She wants to say that it's fine and that she totally deserves it. But if there's anything she has learned on this journey, it's that you _don't_ get in between two raging Fire Adepts.

But the argument rages on with no signs of stopping, and Mia becomes desperate.

"I broke Garet's trust!" Mia shouts. The Fire Adepts stop their arguing and look at the Imilian healer, shocked. "I broke his trust because I promised I wouldn't tell anybody, but I told Sheba, and now he's mad and I completely deserve it!"

The following silence envelops the room completely before Jenna shatters it. "You told Sheba what?"

"I told her about me teaching Garet a dance and him being absolutely terrible at it," Mia mumbles, looking back at the ground.

"Hey!" Garet shouts, forcing the blue-haired girl's attention back to him. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, indignant. "I've been practicing, you know. I can do the dance now."

Mia blinks up at him, surprised. "Really?"

Garet nods confidently. "Yeah! I'll show you!" Garet holds his hand out to Mia, determined to prove his worth.

Jenna raises an eyebrow and places one hand on her hip, an amused smirk on her lips. "Oh, this I have _got _to see!"

Garet's smug grin graces his features. "Hmph! I'll show you how good I've become!"

Mia is skeptical, but she puts her hand in his, prays to the gods that he won't step on her feet, and proceeds to dance with him. A few counts in, and the healer and Jenna are both utterly amazed. Mia decides that she should definitely tell Sheba about this because she is now completely convinced that if it's Garet, _anything_ is possible.

A/N: Thanks to Droory once again for the idea!


	30. Felix and Mia: Comparisons

A/N: I haven't been entirely clear about this, but I do take requests. So, if you have an idea, I'm very willing to hear it!

Felix and Mia: Comparisons

She heard stories about him. Isaac and Garet were full of them. They told her these stories for nights on end sometimes. Stories of innocent childhood and simple friendship. Stories of stolen cookies and friendly wrestling matches. Mia loved it. She liked listening to their voices, so full of nostalgia and hope. She enjoyed watching their faces, so full of content reminiscence. She never stopped loving the stories; they just stopped telling her.

They stopped telling her because the object of their stories became a real person, manifested into a young man barely older than she, standing before them looking just as uncertain as they. There is no need for stories when the real thing stands beside her, fighting for his life just as hard as she is. Mia wonders if she likes this change.

Felix is different from what Isaac and Garet told her. Their stories were of a reliable, warm young man, intimidating yet gentle. But Felix is all sharp edges and hard stares. He is angles and toughness and resilient stone. Mia thinks of the cute little stories Isaac and Garet told her of this person and wonders what changed.

He is in the common area of the ship, looking over maps. Mia sits down next to him on the couch.

"You're different from what I imagined," she says to him after a while.

Felix grunts. "I get that a lot."

They are silent. It is Felix who breaks it.

"They told you stories about me, didn't they?"

Mia nods, trying to find the words to say. Fortunately she doesn't have to say anything.

Felix chuckles drily and says, "No wonder I'm different from what you imagined. It's been nearly four years since we've all been together like that. Our childhood is gone."

Mia thinks about that statement and realizes that it's true. She looks over at Felix and sees that same look of nostalgia washing over his face that she has seen on Isaac and Garet's faces time and again. She knows that Felix wishes for the old times just like they do. Mia thinks of Alex and her days in Imil and realizes that she does, too.

"When you're a child, you live so in the moment that time seems to stretch out," she says after a moment of reflection. "You never really look to the past, but the future is wide and the present is beautiful, so you have a lot to hope for. But as you get older, you start to wish for the past a lot more because there is this feeling of loss. You understand that you can't get the past back and that makes the present seem that much less beautiful. So, you start hoping a little bit less each day because your life is full of the past, present, _and_ future, and it's hard—no, nearly _impossible_—to find a harmony within the three. Time goes on and you've lost your innocence."

Mia pauses to see if Felix will interject. He doesn't and she knows that he understands what she's saying. So, she continues.

"But you know, you don't need _innocence_ to start over with them. They still love you."

Mia stares at the Venus Adept to watch his reaction. The small, slow smile that shines on Felix's face is the most hopeful expression Mia has ever seen in her life and Mia decides that this Felix is much better than the Felix she heard about from Isaac and Garet's stories.


	31. Isaac and Piers: Worries

Isaac and Piers: Worries

If there's anything Piers notices about Isaac, it's that he's always in deep thought. He often sees the Venus Adept staring off into the distance, his unruly blond hair blowing in the wind, his eyebrows furrowed, his blue eyes searching for something in the midst of the seas. Piers has only known Isaac for a few days, so he's not one to judge, but whenever he sees the young Valean staring at the horizon, he gets this unshakeable feeling that Isaac is worrying about something he shouldn't be worrying about.

It is the fifth day at sea and the ship is so much livelier with the nine of them, as opposed to the original five and Piers likes this new atmosphere; it's refreshing. If only Isaac would stop brooding.

Piers is on deck, steering the ship, when Isaac steps onto the deck as well. The Lemurian watches the young Venus Adept lean against the railing and stare off into the sea.

Piers can't help it. He has seen Isaac look so melancholy and pensive for far too long. Felix does enough brooding for all nine of the people on the ship. They don't need a second one. "Stop worrying."

The Venus Adept snaps out of his reverie. "Huh?"

Piers simply repeats himself, knowing that those two simple words will suffice.

"It's hard not to worry," Isaac says after a brief pause.

Piers smiles, understanding. "Tell me about them."

The young Valean is confused. "What?"

"All your worries. Tell me about them. You'll feel better once you talk."

Isaac is quiet for a very long time, but Piers waits for him. There's no rush, after all.

And if there anything else Piers notices about Isaac, it's that the young Venus Adept _never _disappoints.


	32. Garet and Jenna: Reality

Garet and Jenna: Reality

Jenna is a little bit hesitant. He's standing right there, fiery red hair and tall stature and all. He is standing on the deck looking toward the sea and the setting sun, pensive. Jenna thinks that it's nice to see Garet when he's not being a hothead, but when he's just being himself. He hasn't noticed her, yet, but he's so close to her, she can touch him and she doesn't know why but this causes her heart to ache just a little.

She misses him. She misses him and Isaac and Felix and everything they had before…before all of this. She misses it all so much that it's _painful_. She realizes, as an unusually large lump clogs up her throat, that this isn't a good time to try to casually catch up with a boy who had been her best friend. _Had been._ The past tense of the phrase is laughing at her and she wonders if it will ever turn into reality.

She doesn't know how long she stands there, just staring at her old friend, trying not to cry, when the big oaf turns around, sees her, and grins that big huge grin that is just so essentially _Garet_ that Jenna actually bursts into tears.

Garet looks extremely alarmed and is at her side immediately. He stands there, awkwardly patting her shoulder. "What's wrong? Aw, don't cry, Jenna. I'm not like Isaac; I don't know what to do when girls cry…"

It is a feeling of intense déjà vu and it catches Jenna completely off guard. The realization strikes her like a lightning bolt and floods her entire being and all of her hesitation and fear evaporates from her heart and the leaden weight of sorrow is lifted from her chest. A laugh bubbles up her throat and bursts from her lips and her merriment doesn't, cannot, stop because the Garet patting her shoulder is the same Garet from her childhood in Vale and while everything _has_ changed, at the same time, nothing has changed at all and _maybe the past isn't lost_.

Garet is painfully confused because Jenna was crying just a moment ago, and now she's laughing? "Uh, I don't know what's happening," he says carefully, "but are you okay?"

The female Mars Adept controls her laughter enough to reply, "I'm alright, Garet." Her voice shakes from her merriment. "Don't worry." She sniffles and smiles at him, a big one so that he'll know _for sure_ that she's okay. Garet is a little confused, but he smiles back anyway and decides not to push it. Jenna giggles. "Why don't we go and find Isaac and you guys can tell me everything about what you've been through and who those two new people are? I'm way curious!"

"I thought Isaac told you everything…? I mean you guys were talking for way long in that last inn we were at—"

"He hasn't told me half, I'm sure of it," Jenna interrupts eagerly. "And I haven't really gotten to hear from you, so let's go!" Jenna grabs him by the hand and pulls him below decks and Garet just laughs and goes along. They arrive at Isaac's room and she bursts through the door, Garet in tow, throws herself on the Venus Adept's bed—"Whoa! Hey, what are you doing?"—and proceeds to turn the past tense into reality.


	33. Jenna, Garet, and Felix: Unsaid

A/N: Sequel to Ch. 19: "Confrontation"

Jenna, Garet, and Felix: Unsaid

Garet and Felix are sitting across the table at each other while Jenna stands in front of them, her arms crossing her chest.

Felix is irritated. "Jenna, what are we doing here?"

Garet agrees, jerking his thumb toward the Venus Adept across from him. "Yeah! Why do I gotta sit across from this lousy guy?"

Jenna slams her hands on the table, effectively shutting both of them up.

"I'm sick and tired of seeing you guys constantly glaring at each other. During battles, on the ship, during dinner… It's so annoying! And neither of you are going to leave this table until you _fix _this!"

"Jenna, what are you talking about?" Felix asks, exasperated. "There's nothing _to_ fix."

"Yes there is!" Jenna insists. "There is antagonism, anger, and bitterness between you two. _Everyone_ can see it!"

"You're imagining things." Felix moves to stand up.

"Oh, no, you _don't_, Felix!" Jenna threatens, forcing her brother to sit back down. She glares at the two warriors in front of her. "Talk! Right now!"

They say nothing and the silence seems to last forever. Felix sighs. "Jenna. This is stupid."

"Yeah! I've got nothing to say to this guy!" Garet interjects, obviously peeved at the whole situation.

Jenna throws her hands in the air. "Ugh, why are you guys making this so difficult?! Felix, all you have to say is that you're sorry. And Garet, all you have to do is stop being a blockhead!"

Garet is offended at that last statement, but Felix beats him to the punch.

"I have nothing to apologize for." Despite his sister's protests, he stands up and leaves. Garet follows not too long afterwards, but not before saying his piece.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, Jen, but Felix and I have got nothing to say to each other." With that, the Mars Adept exits the room.

Jenna sighs and shakes her head. They are stubborn, for sure. But so is she and this isn't going to stop her from trying again tomorrow. She doesn't care _what_ they think. They're going to say the things that she's sure they have left unsaid, even if it means _beating_ it out of them.


	34. Garet and Felix: Communication

A/N: Sequel to Ch. 33: "Unsaid"

Garet and Felix: Communication

Garet chases Felix and stops him in the hallway. The Venus Adept turns to him and Garet says, "Look, I said before that I haven't forgiven you, and I haven't. But that doesn't mean I hate you."

With that, Garet leaves and Felix smiles at his retreating form. "I already knew that, you blockhead," he mumbles under his breath.

He turns and goes back to his room. Jenna has good intentions, so he knows she'll try again tomorrow. But he and Garet will keep their foot down. After all, some things don't have to be said to be understood.


	35. Ivan and Jenna: Cheating

Ivan and Jenna: Cheating

"Hey."

"What is it?"

"How much do you wanna bet that the next monster we fight will be a Gillman?"

"No way. The past three weeks have been mostly Seafowls!"

"Twenty coins says it'll be a Gillman."

"…Fine."

They shake on it. Five minutes later, Jenna hears Piers shouting from the deck. "Everyone, we've got a Gillman!"

Jenna, with a grumble, digs into her pocket and slaps the coins onto Ivan's outstretched hand. It isn't until Ivan leaves to help deal with the offending monster that Jenna remembers that Ivan's a Jupiter Adept, he can see the future, and he's a lying cheat.

Jenna swears she'll give him what for, as soon as they deal with the monster on deck. She is _not_ about to let some shrimpy Wind Adept hustle twenty coins out of her own pocket.


	36. Isaac, Ivan, and Jenna: Justice

A/N: Sequel to Ch. 35: "Cheating".

Isaac, Ivan, and Jenna: Justice

Isaac is reading a book in the common area. An adventure book, this time, because Garet is borrowing his…other book. Isaac is thoroughly enjoying the story when Ivan bursts through the door and proceeds to hide behind the couch Isaac is sitting at. The Venus Adept looks up from his book to ask Ivan what in the _world_ is he doing when Ivan puts a finger to his lips and says in a hushed voice, "Shh! I'm hiding from Jenna."

Isaac raises an eyebrow but shrugs his shoulders and continues reading. A minute later, Jenna bursts through the door and Isaac is taken aback a bit because he can literally _see_ the anger oozing out of Jenna's pores and the Earth Adept wonders what could have possibly happened to make Jenna _this_ angry.

"Where the hell is Ivan?" she demands, her voice dripping in poison.

Isaac turns a page. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because he cheated twenty coins off of me!"

Isaac stops reading to look up at his friend. "He's behind this couch."

Immediately, Ivan pops out in indignation. "Awwww, dang it, Isaac! I told you to keep quiet! Jenna's gonna kill me!"

Said girl narrows her eyes as she hisses the unfortunate Wind Adept's name. Ivan lets out a sound similar to an "eep" and proceeds to run for his life. And before Jenna can even take a step toward him, the blond-haired youth is already out the door. Jenna lets out a frustrated scream.

"Agh! I keep losing him!"

Isaac turns another page. "He has been training with Felix, you know. He's gotten a lot stronger, and a lot faster."

Jenna harrumphs and turns toward the door, determination in every step she takes. "Training or no, I'm gonna find that guy and when I do he'll be giving back more than just twenty coins."

She leaves the room and the door slams shut behind her.

Isaac feels bad for Ivan. Maybe he shouldn't have told Jenna where he was hidden. Then he thinks about what Jenna said and decides that no, Ivan is definitely getting exactly what he asked for.


	37. Mia and Piers: Fables

Mia and Piers: Fables

Piers is someone Mia could definitely get along with. He is gentlemanly and strong. He is bright and easy to talk to. He is adept at both fighting and healing and—Mia believes this is the _main_ reason why she so enjoys his company—he is a bona fide Mercury Adept and living proof that Mia, Alex, Megan, and Justin are not alone in the world.

Piers is all those things, but if Mia is to be completely honest, his ability to tell a compelling story is a definite plus, too.

"The Great Pirate Roger was confused as to what the island could possibly be. When he saw it in his telescope, it was bare, completely devoid of flora or fauna, just brown dirt. It was a small island; Roger could tell that one could walk the perimeter of it within a few hours. After some deliberation, Roger decided to go to the strange little island in the distance."

Mia doesn't really know how she ended up listening to Piers's story. One minute, she is standing on the deck of the ship, contemplating the ocean, the next, Piers joins her and proceeds to tell her a popular tale from his hometown. Mia doesn't really mind, however, because she is completely taken by his words. The pictures he paints are so clear; she can see everything in her mind's eye.

"It truly seemed as if there was nothing there, but Roger was determined to explore the island. However, as he got closer to the wasteland, there was this disgusting stench hanging in the air. And as his ship traveled full speed toward the island, the stench got stronger and stronger, so much so that even his most seasoned sailors got seasick and vomited all over the deck."

The Mercury cleric's face is contorted in absolute disgust. Piers laughs but continues, knowing that the young blue-haired maiden is listening intently to his every word.

"But Roger was determined. He kept going, despite the combined smell of vomit and this unknown substance pervading the air all around him. Eventually, the ship arrived on the island. The sun was high in the sky and the heat seemed to be absorbed by the dirt and it made the stench stronger than ever. Everyone was hesitant to get off. Roger could hear the murmurs of his crew, and he got angry.

"'Avast ye scurvy dogs!' Roger exclaimed." Piers does his best sailor accent and Mia can't help but giggle at Piers's enthusiasm. "'All o' ye are cowards! Just 'cause a some smell, all o' ye are hesitant to find the treasure of our lives?!' Roger turned away from his crew in disgust and proceeds to leave the ship. 'If any o' ye are too cowardly to follow me, then ye cin kiss yer position on this 'ere ship g'bye!'

"The pirate captain leaves the ship, his crew following, closely, yet hesitantly behind him. Once Roger reached the ground, he noticed that the dirt is incredibly soft. So soft, in fact, that his boots sunk right into the ground! He was hard-pressed to get his boots unstuck, but when he did, he turned around to see the rest of his crew in the same predicament. Temper flaring, he calls out to his crew:

"'Git yer dumb hides outta that dirt! We're gonna scour this 'ere island until we find the treasure that is shore to be buried 'ere!'

"The whole crew spent the entire rest of the day, searching on the island, high and low, but could not find anything. When the sun had set and the entire crew boarded the ship again, Roger was in a terrible mood. They had found nothing, the whole island stunk, and everyone was covered in the soft brown dirt that made up the entirety of the land. The brown stuff was _everywhere_. On the deck, in the crow's nest, in the cabins. The Pirate Roger took great pride in his ship; he hated the mess the dirt had made. He immediately set his crew to work to clean themselves and the ship and they worked all through the night.

"In the morning, Roger decided that he needed to get his crew out of there and fast. They were getting used to the smell, but it wasn't helping anybody's morale, so the Great Pirate ordered everyone to set sail at once. However, just as they were about to leave the island, a gigantic sea monster rose from the depths of the sea in front of them! It was as big as a small continent, with beady eyes and green scales as hard as diamond. It looked like an oversized sea horse with an antenna hanging in front of its eyes like those of an angler fish."

Mia leans closer toward Piers, listening intently. Piers is truly a wonderful storyteller.

"At the sight of the monster, Roger's ship immediately panicked. They turned the ship hard to starboard to get away from the monster. Above deck, crewmembers unfurled the mast to catch any wind they could possibly catch. Below deck, sailors rowed with all their might. Everywhere, people worked to get the ship to travel faster and bring them far, far away from the monster. But…"

Piers pauses for dramatic effect. Mia is wide-eyed and enraptured. Her eyes beg him to tell the rest. With a slight smile, Piers obliges.

"But the monster wasn't following them. Once Captain Roger noticed this, he commanded everyone to stop. As soon as they did, Roger turned his telescope toward where they had left the abomination. The monster was still in the same place they had left it. His crewmembers begged him to let them run away; who cares what the beast is doing? But Roger was adamant. They stayed in the same spot, watching the giant creature.

"Eventually, the beast starts to move, not toward Roger's ship, but _away _from them. The crew behind Roger cheers, believing they had avoided a great catastrophe. It didn't matter that the brown dirt was still clinging onto their clothes and living space. It didn't matter that the stench of the island and vomit permeated the air. They were all just happy to be alive. But Roger was not rejoicing; his eyes were trained on the retreating sea monster. Do you know what he saw?"

Piers stops and waits for Mia to answer. She shakes her head. No, she doesn't know what the Great Pirate Roger saw.

Piers grins and tells her. "He saw the beast move away from them, leaving behind, in its wake, an island, bare and completely devoid of flora or fauna, made only of brown dirt."

The aqua-haired captain ends his story and Mia is confused. But as time goes on, realization soon dawns on her face and she is absolutely mortified.

"S-so, the island was…" she stutters, horrified, "And the crew spent the _entire day_ in… Oh…that is just…"

Mia turns a little green as Piers laughs at her reaction. Piers is a great storyteller, but his choice of fables need some work.

A/N: Inspiration for this one-shot comes from Eiichiro Oda's _One Piece_ and, more specifically, from Usopp's outrageous stories. If you're a fan, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about :D


	38. Felix and Jenna: Strength

Felix and Jenna: Strength

Felix hates Saturos and Menardi. He never thought that he could ever hate anyone as much as he hates those two manipulative _bastards._ Isaac wasn't supposed to get involved in this. Garet wasn't supposed to get involved this. And Jenna… They had specifically _sworn _not to involve her.

He should've known better than to believe them. He should've known. He should've known. _He should've known. _He repeats this phrase in his head until the words chain themselves around his neck, choking him.

He wants to punch them. It doesn't matter that Mt. Aleph is about to blow and they have to leave the sanctum and the village if they have even a hope of survival. It doesn't matter that if he stopped now and started a fight with them, he'll lose without a doubt. None of that matters. He wants to kill them. He wants to wrap his fingers around Menardi's neck and stab Saturos right through his heart. Felix had never known such anger.

The group flees the mountain and they make their way to the village of Vault. And although Felix follows wordlessly behind his captors, he can feel Kraden and Jenna's eyes on his back, and oh, it _hurts_.

Felix decides to focus his attention not on the innocent, but on the guilty, and resorts to spending the rest of the day glaring daggers at his captors' back.

He is in the middle of imagining a particularly violent method of murdering Menardi when he feels a hand on his arm. He looks behind him and it is Jenna and he nearly stops walking because he didn't think Jenna would even want to talk to him.

"Felix…" she begins. She pauses and he can tell she is hesitant. He doesn't blame her; he hates himself, too. She is quiet for a long time and Felix thinks she's not going to continue, but she surprises him when she does. "I don't know why you guys are doing this, but I'm going to trust you anyway. You're my brother and I'm just glad you're alive."

Felix wants to cry at Jenna's words, but he doesn't. He simply takes her hand in his and squeezes it so hard that he's worried she might complain.

She never does.


	39. Isaac and Mia: Peace

Isaac and Mia: Peace

Isaac likes to gaze at the stars. It makes him feel so small and so insignificant. And in the face of the vastness of the skies, he can forget that there is this ominous cloud of responsibility hanging on his shoulders. He can forget that he's a little boy, forced to play hero. He can forget that fate is cruel.

Mia likes to gaze at the stars. She can lose herself in the enormity of the millions of tiny little dots, trying so hard to shine their light upon the world. It reminds her that there is still something worth believing in. That life isn't made of betrayals and false promises. That although fate is cruel, the world is still beautiful.

They like to gaze at the stars. And when they gaze at the stars together, they are reminded that they aren't alone. They remember that they find strength, not in themselves but in the friendship that they have with each other. They are far from home, but the four of them have become a family, and Isaac and Mia are aware of this, more aware of this than any of the others. So they gaze at the stars and, for a moment, they have peace.

While there is no relief from the darkness in their lives, the tiny dots in the sky tell them that maybe everything isn't as bad as it seems.


	40. Isaac and Ivan: Overwhelming

A/N: Btw, I am very serious about taking requests. If you have an idea, I am totally willing to give it a try!

Inspired by a conversation with a certain someone about Ivan's ability to Mind Read.

Isaac and Ivan: Overwhelming

They did this in every town they come to. It helped the group know of the people's cultures and customs. They could learn how best to act, or learn of any strange happenings going on. And it certainly helped to know that they are safe from getting caught. No one can sense Psynergy, after all.

Isaac believed it was okay because Ivan never refused. They always asked Ivan specifically, each and every time, "Is this okay? Are you sure? You don't have to do this if you don't want to." But Ivan was adamant and always agreed. He believed it to be the best course of action. The logical one. The rational one. And when it comes right down to it, it really was.

But Isaac wasn't so sure anymore. Because they entered this town. Tolbi. People from all nations have come to this single town to participate or watch Colosso. The amount of information the group could gain was endless. So, with a nod of Isaac's head, the eager Jupiter Adept went off.

It went smoothly for the first few people. He got information. Lots of it. About Colosso. About the culture. About Tolbi. And even some interesting bits about Tolbi's ruler, Babi. Ivan even was able to glean some funny stories off of these people.

But what Isaac couldn't possibly predict was the effect That Man would have on Ivan. He looked buff and strong: a possible contestant in Colosso. They guessed that he would probably have some valuable information on the tournament itself. They jumped at the chance.

Ivan stood next to That Man. A few moments pass and nothing is out of the ordinary. Ivan even smiles at something. But then, as time goes on, something goes wrong. Ivan was only supposed to be there for a few seconds, but he stood there for much longer. With concern, Isaac watched Ivan's smile slowly turn into a frown, then into pure horror, and, next thing he knew, Ivan crumpled to the ground, dry heaving.

That Man turned to look at Ivan with a blank expression on his face, stared at him for a while, then promptly left. All of them rushed to Ivan's side.

"He's a bad man. He's a very, very bad man," Ivan kept saying. Isaac held the boy in his arms, wondering what he meant, asking him what he saw. The young Wind Adept just lay there in Isaac's arms, trembling.

Isaac never asked him to Mind Read again.

A/N: It is certain that Weyard has evil people, and some people who are just downright disgusting. What if Ivan encountered someone like that while Mind Reading? It had to have been pretty scarring. It must have been.


	41. Jenna and Sheba: Tool

Jenna and Sheba: Tool

This is not the first time Sheba loathes the fact that she is the Chosen One. Ever since she was a child—when all the children were forbidden to play with her, when adults would bow down to her, when she would be placed atop a stage and the whole town would worship her—she has hated her powers. Hated the wind that played at her fingertips. Hated the whispers of minds all around her. Hated the premonitions she receives.

And now…now her very life is in danger, not of her own volition, but because she has _powers._ Because the almighty wind bows down to her will. Because she is _special_ and her powers can be used.

She is a tool, Sheba realizes. Her town used her as a means of worship. Her family used her as a road to wealth. And now these people (_monsters)_ are using her to further their own ends, whatever these ends may be. Sheba stares at Saturos, Menardi, and Alex's backs and curses her fate, curses her powers, curses her life, and wonders if anyone will ever look at her as a _person._

Sheba trembles and squeezes her eyes shut when she feels someone—someone warm, someone lovely—take her hand in theirs. She opens her eyes, still full of unshed tears and sees the blurry image of a red-haired female with a soft smile (Jenna is her name, Sheba thinks).

"We will get through this. All of us." Jenna squeezes her hand and does not let go.

The Chose One repeats that phrase in her head. "All of us." Sheba thinks that this is the first time she has ever felt like she belongs somewhere.


	42. Isaac, Garet, and Mia: Distraction

A/N: Prequel-ish to Ch. 30: "Comparisons"

Isaac, Garet, and Mia: Distraction

Isaac is observant so he can tell that Mia is upset. They had just met; they left Imil literally two days ago. But he is ninety-nine percent sure that the young Imilian cleric is thinking about Alex and his betrayal and he's ninety-nine point _nine_ percent sure that she's probably blaming it on herself. After all, that's what Isaac did when he found out Felix was alive and Jenna and Kraden were taken away from him. Isaac knows that he and Mia aren't that different (he can tell in the way that she cried last night, because Isaac had cried the night after he left Vale, too. He wouldn't dream of admitting that to Garet, though), so he can sense the self-hatred that is brewing in her heart.

Ivan had left to buy supplies, so Isaac, Garet, and Mia are left inside Bilibin's inn to discuss what to do next. Mia is absent-minded and Isaac knows she is thinking about the events on Mercury Lighthouse's aerie. Isaac looks over at Garet and his best friend is also noticing her lack of awareness (he's had to call her name three times just to get her to respond to him). The two Valeans share a look. Garet shrugs.

"Hey, Mia," Isaac says. The blue-haired healer turns her head toward him, in polite acknowledgement. "When me and Garet were younger, we were best friends with Jenna and Felix, the two kids who were traveling with Saturos and Menardi." Isaac carefully avoids saying Alex's name. He wonders if she notices. Garet gives him a confused look, wondering what the Venus Adept is trying to do.

"Oh, really?" Mia responds, but Isaac's not sure if she is genuinely interested. He keeps going anyway. After all, what's there to lose?

"One time, me and Garet were playing a game and Jenna had asked us if she could join in. We refused, though, because she was a girl and every little boy knows that girls had cooties."

Garet is still unsure of what Isaac is doing, but he plays along anyway. "Oh, yeah! And Jenna got raging mad. I remember she yelled at us for at least five minutes and even shot a fireball at our heads before stomping off!"

Isaac laughs and agrees. "I remember being legitimately scared that she was going to burn down the whole village!"

Mia giggles a little and Isaac grins triumphantly. Garet finally understands and wholeheartedly continues the story. "Yeah, Jenna's crazy scary when she's mad. But you wanna know what she did when she stomped off after yelling at us?"

Mia nods, a smile forming on her lips. "What happened?"

Isaac is the one who answers. "Well, there was this cave in our village. No one was allowed to go in there and so all the village kids made up these crazy stories about it being haunted and infested with monsters. We would all double dog dare each other to go in and test our courage but nobody ever went inside. We would all chicken out at the last minute.

"But anyway, after Jenna left, me and Garet kinda just shrugged at each other and continued playing. But when the sun was about to set and we were heading home, Felix jogs up to us and asks, 'Hey, have you seen Jenna?' We told him we didn't and so we all searched the village looking for her. We couldn't find her anywhere!"

Garet picks up the story from here. "Yeah, we were all pretty stumped. It was getting really dark and we were getting really worried when Isaac said, 'What if she's in The Cave?'

"We all looked at each other and then dashed off. But when we got there, me and Isaac were way scared. I mean, the sun was just barely over the mountains. There was _no way_ we were about to go in The Cave! But Felix just glared at us and said, 'My _sister_ is in there.' So he commands me to light up a stick as a torch and runs in the cave without a second thought."

Isaac nods, smiling at the memory. "Yeah. That's the kind of person Felix is. It didn't matter if he was scared. If it meant protecting Jenna, he wouldn't hesitate. And I'm sure if it was me or Garet in The Cave, he would've ran in there, too."

From the corner of his eye, he can see Mia's gentle smile and knows that he was successful in cheering her up.

"So?" Mia inquires. "What happened next?"

Isaac obliges. "Me and Garet wait in front of the cave until way past dark, when finally, we see Felix and Jenna walking out of the cave hand-in-hand, Jenna scared out of her wits and Felix confidently leading her out."

"Man, Felix yelled at us for the longest time after that!" Garet says, reminiscing. "That guy's _way_ scarier than Jenna when he's angry."

Mia grins at the duo. "Wow, what a sweet story!"

Garet grins back. "You wanna hear about the time Felix and I stole Isaac's mom's cookies?"

Mia nods her head eagerly and Isaac and Garet don't hesitate.

* * *

It is late into the night when they finally stop telling Mia stories. Ivan went to bed much earlier than they, saying that he was tired from shopping all day. Mia had listened with enraptured ears and a glowing smile and Isaac is absolutely certain that the three of them are friends now.

Garet and Isaac walk to their room when Garet says, "Hey, Isaac, that was a really good idea. Telling Mia stories to cheer her up."

Isaac laughs and says, "Yeah, well she needed it." Here, Garet yawns and Isaac chuckles before saying, "Go to sleep, we've got a long day tomorrow."

Garet nods and enters his room.

Isaac stands in the hallway for a little while longer, smiling, because the Mars Adept doesn't even realize that Isaac got that idea from him. After all, that's what Garet did for Isaac when they left Vale; Garet kept him talking, kept him smiling, and Isaac's one hundred percent sure that his best friend will continue to do so, not just for him, but for Mia and Ivan, too.


	43. Isaac, Jenna, Felix, and Mia: Evil

A/N: Sequel-ish/Companion-ish/Kind-of-related-in-an-off -handed-way-ish to Ch. 30: "Comparisons" and Ch. 42: "Distraction"

Isaac, Jenna, Felix, and Mia: Evil

Isaac doesn't know what he did to get into this situation. He's a good person, really. He holds doors open for others, helps people as much as he can, and is working to save the world. He doesn't deserve this. He _can't_ deserve this. So, Isaac concludes, either Jenna is evil or the gods hate him. But Isaac has a strong inkling it's the former, rather than the latter.

"…and that's what happened when Isaac's mom forced his hair to be flat," Jenna ends the story with a laugh. Mia is in stitches across from her and Isaac curses Jenna in his head. She _swore_ to never talk about that day again…

"Wow, I really wish I could've seen Isaac with flat hair!" Mia says between hiccups of laughter.

Isaac stands up and says, "Well, ladies. This was really a great conversation, but I think it's best if we go to bed soon. After all, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and…"

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss, Isaac. Stay!" Jenna says, grabbing ahold of his arm and shoving him back down on his seat. "We still have to tell Mia about that time you got diarrhea when we were helping Old Man Matthias!"

"Isaac got diarrhea while helping someone?" Mia exclaimed, her eyes widening with both amusement and intrigue.

"Yeah! It was hilarious. So, let me tell you what happened…"

Isaac groans and wants to bang his head on the table. Jenna's doing this on purpose. She is _totally_ doing this on purpose.

Isaac thinks it couldn't get any worse when a minute later, Felix walks into the room. He is about to walk back out when he sees them, but he catches a snippet of Jenna's anecdote.

"Jen, are you telling Mia about the time Isaac got diarrhea in front of Old Man Matthias?"

The grinning Fire Adept nods toward her brother and a smirk appears on the Venus Adept's face as he sits down right next to Isaac. Felix looks straight at his friend's face—Isaac was begging him with his eyes not to worsen the situation—before looking back at Mia, saying, "What Jenna forgot to tell you was…"

This time, Isaac actually bangs his head on the table. He has decided: evil definitely runs in the family.


	44. Felix and Ivan: Rematch

A/N: Long overdue sequel to Ch. 13: "Tenacious"

Felix and Ivan: Rematch

Ivan has a bruised lip, a black eye, and a very, very sore hip. He thinks he might have thirty cuts, fifty scrapes, and about seventy bruises. Mia is currently busy taking a nap and Piers is busy taking care of the ship, so there is no one to really turn to for a healing. He could ask Isaac, but he's sure Isaac would just laugh at him for getting so thoroughly beat up (Isaac wouldn't actually _laugh, _but his eyes will tell Ivan everything and he won't even have to Mind Read), so Ivan sits in the common area, alone, and wonders at how he should go about taking care of his wounds.

He soon finds out that he doesn't need to worry because there is a feeling of a deep calmness that envelops him and heals his wounds and he recognizes this Psynergy as Potent Cure, one of Isaac's best healing techniques. He's sure Isaac doesn't know about his current state, and the only other person who knows this technique is…

Felix sits down next to Ivan on the couch. "You should have immediately gone to a healer."

Ivan shrugs. "No one was available."

There is a long pause as neither boy really feels the need to continue the conversation. But Ivan eventually breaks the silence anyway. "You beat me up pretty bad. And the battle was going so well in my favor…"

Felix chuckles. Ivan stares at the Venus Adept in surprise. He had been traveling with this man for almost a month and he had never heard Felix chuckle. Ivan had thought the Venus Adept was one of those super stoic people: the ones who didn't have much of a humor. Ivan feels relieved to know that Felix is, indeed, human.

"I underestimated you, that's all. Once I got serious, it wasn't too hard to beat you," Felix replies.

Ivan winces at the words. That was quite a blow to his pride.

Felix keeps going. "You're sloppy with your footwork and your Psynergy isn't as strong as I thought it would be. Your physical prowess isn't nearly as high as it should be, considering the type of weapon you wield." Felix gestures at Ivan's rapier, leaning against the wall close by. Ivan wants to crawl into a hole and wither away. He knows he's not exactly _strong_, but he also knows that he's not a wimp, either. Felix's words are too harsh.

Despite Ivan's deepest hopes, Felix continues talking and Ivan braces himself for the worst. "But you are also very creative and highly resourceful." Ivan looks up at Felix. Did the stoic Venus Adept just compliment him? "You are quick-thinking and can think up whole strategies on the spot. You also have the innate ability to execute such strategies almost flawlessly. Oh, and also? The control you have over your Psynergy is really something else. I could learn from you."

Ivan beams at those words, but looks away so as not to seem like he took _too_ much pride in Felix's compliments.

"I'd really like to spar with you again. But only once we get on land. I don't want you to hold back your Psynergy just because you don't want to ruin the boat. It wouldn't be productive for either of us," Felix says.

The Wind Adept grins at Felix's offer. "You're on. I'll work on my footwork and everything else. When I face you again, I'll be way stronger."

Felix smiles back. "I'm sure you will."


	45. Sheba, Ivan, and Piers: Patience

Sheba, Ivan, and Piers: Patience

Piers thinks that Sheba and Ivan are here to bother him about his age, but Piers will never disclose that information, thank you very much. He's made that clear since the day they had asked him. That hasn't stopped them from asking at least once a day, though. Piers has patience in spades, but sometimes curiosity can be a little too much to take.

"Hey, Piers." Sheba bounds up next to him and grins widely up at him. Piers wants to groan because a grin on Sheba's face is almost never innocent, regardless of how disarming it looks. Ivan appears on Piers's other side with his own greeting.

Piers is ready with his response. "I will not tell you how old I am, and don't even think about reading my mind. It didn't work last time and it won't work now."

"We weren't gonna ask you about your age this time," Ivan reassures. "I was wondering if you'd tell us more about Lemuria."

"We _could _ask Kraden," Sheba says, "but sometimes he can go on these really long tangents and it's really hard to stay awake when he does that…" Ivan nods vigorously in agreement.

Piers chuckles. He is quite aware of the old man's tendencies. "Alright then," Piers says. "So, Lemuria of old was like this…"

Piers has patience in spades, but when the young Jupiter Adepts hang onto his every word like this, he doesn't need patience. No, at the end of the day, it all comes down to love.


	46. Felix and Piers: Fate

Felix and Piers: Fate

Piers knew that the blond-haired girl, through the young man's bidding, had read his mind back in the cell in Madra. He also knew that each of them, except the old man, had some sort of Psynergetic power. It was obvious in the way they talked in hushed voices, their utter lack of surprise when Piers had frozen that puddle, the look in their eyes that spoke thousands of words. The brown-haired man looked especially strong. His shoulders were square and his head was held high. He had reached out his hand to Piers and introduced himself as Felix. But Felix and his companions had nothing to do with Piers, so the Lemurian had shrugged them off. He believed that he would never see them again.

Piers is surprised when, one day, the city lets him go. They speak of a man named Felix, who found out that it wasn't Piers who wreaked havoc on the town, but rather a man named Briggs. Piers remembers that was the name of the man who had introduced himself to him a few weeks before—the man with the brown hair and eyes like stone—and wishes he could wait and thank him, but Piers really needs his Black Orb if he means to honor his king's wishes. Piers sends a prayer to the gods for the good fortune of the man who helped him and departs for Kibombo.

Piers doesn't really believe in fate. Or at least, that what's he had thought. But when they meet again in the shadows of the Gabomba Statue—Felix, with his hard eyes and face set like stone—Piers can't help but grin.

The gods have a sense of humor, definitely. And Piers will be damned if he doesn't take this twist of fate in stride.


	47. Felix and Everybody Else: Recovery

Felix and Everyone Else: Recovery

Felix can't believe that he is sick. Sure, he hadn't slept for nearly two weeks, had insisted on manning the tiller for two storms during that time, and had been rigorously studying maps in order to decide on the ship's course, but such things are required of a leader. He shouldn't get _sick_ over it. That's a sign of weakness and Felix is anything but weak.

There is a knock on Felix's door and, once Felix gives him consent, Isaac walks into the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Felix tries to sit up. Isaac immediately tells him not to.

"No! Mia said not to move," Isaac reminds him.

Felix grunts annoyingly as he lies back down in his bed, but decides not to argue. He doesn't really have the strength for that. "How's the ship? How's everyone doing?"

Isaac looks at Felix pointedly. "Everything's fine, Felix. We can take care of things without you for a day or two."

Felix grunts again. "Good." Felix wants to curse because his eyes are beginning to droop and his breathing is starting to slow. He's not sleepy. He's really not sleepy.

The blond-haired Adept doesn't seem to agree because he says, "I'll let you get your rest. We can handle things around the ship just fine."

Felix wants to protest. He really does, but sometimes the call of slumber is far too tempting even for a man with iron will like him. Isaac can see that and so he waits until Felix is fast asleep before getting up to leave. Just as he is about to tip toe out the door, he glances back at the older Earth Adept.

"Sleep well, leader. We'll need you soon enough."

* * *

Jenna enters the room and sees that Felix is fast asleep. She hesitates before kneeling down next to her slumbering brother.

"It's about time you got sick. You've been working yourself to the bone ever since we left Venus Lighthouse."

She looks at the sleeping Adept's face. He looks so much more peaceful when he's asleep. Jenna wishes he could be asleep all the time if only he could have that same expression on his face more often. "Get well soon, brother, okay?"

She leaves the room soon after that, but not before she takes his hand in hers and holds it for a minute, maybe more.

* * *

Garet peeks around the door and, making sure Felix is asleep, he enters the room, but he does not approach the bed and opts to lean against the door. The flame-haired warrior stays there for a second before he, frowning, decides to leave.

"It's not the same when he's sick."

* * *

Ivan quietly enters the room and sits down next to Felix in a chair next to his bed.

"I mastered that Psynergetic technique. I'll show you once you wake up and get better from your cold."

Ivan pauses before adding, "I know how exhausted you've been. You deserve this rest."

The Contigan leaves shortly thereafter, a little bit surprised at how deep of a sleeper the conscientious Valean is when he is sick. Ivan thought he'd wake up at the mere sound of his voice. But the young Wind Adept shrugs it off. He needs to practice those new ideas he thought of that included that new technique he mastered. He wants to impress his trainer when he wakes up.

* * *

Mia opens the door and quietly closes it behind her. Taking out her salves and medicine from her bag, she leans over Felix and gets to work. It's important that he gets better soon; he promised to tell her about Garet's escapade beyond Vale's borders. She's sure it'll be a wonderful story and an opportunity to see the fearless leader himself in a much softer, warmer light.

After all, while Felix may be stone and rock personified, he has warmth that can compete with the softness of Jenna's smile and a light that would put even Sheba's personality to shame. It would be wrong to deprive the group of these qualities when she knows firsthand exactly how important they are.

* * *

The door opens a crack and a small, blond head pokes through. Sheba's gaze falls on Felix's slumbering face and she squeals inwardly because how can you not think a sleeping Felix is cute? She tiptoes into the room and quietly closes the door behind her and sits in the chair next to Felix's bed.

Sheba does not know how long she stays there next to a sleeping Felix but she does know that when she decides to get up and leave it is not because she finds it boring to keep Felix company. No, it's because she knows he won't appreciate the fact that she had been at his side the whole time.

But that's okay because Sheba will be back later to check up on him and maybe she will bring Piers with her if the aqua-haired Mercury Adept doesn't beat her to it. Sheba smiles softly as she makes a bet with herself that Felix will get better by tomorrow. Sheba _knows_ Felix and she knows that the brown-haired Venus Adept won't let some stupid _fever_ get the better of him for long.

* * *

Night falls and Piers is finally done with repairs (those two storms had been quite devastating). He enters the room as quietly as the rest of those before him, bringing a book with him because he had promised Kraden that he would read up on his Alchemic history. When the Lemurian sits down next to Felix's bed, he turns on the bedside lamp and opens the book he had brought with him. He doesn't move until morning.

* * *

Felix wakes up and sees Piers in the chair next to his bed, reading a book. The sun is high in the sky and Felix's voice is hoarse when he asks, "What time is it?"

"It's noon of the next day," Piers states matter-of-factly, closing his book.

Felix shoots upward. He's certain he had fallen asleep the morning the day before. "I slept for that long? Why did no one wake me up?"

Piers gives Felix a blank look. "You were sick. Why would anyone _want _to wake you?"

"There's so much to do! I have to go over the charts and navigation, I need to sharpen my weapons, and I have to catch some fish for us to eat for dinner. Our food supply is running low." Felix thinks of all the things he has to do and begins to grow angry that no one had thought to wake him to take care of it.

The Lemurian sailor raises his hand toward Felix and says, "Relax. Everything's taken care of. Isaac is perfectly capable of navigating; we're well on our way to the Northern Continent. Jenna and Garet sharpened everyone's weapons. Sheba and Ivan fished for food; they got quite a catch. Mia helped me with repairs."

Felix hesitates. "So…there's nothing for me to do?"

Piers nods. "You can go back to sleep now."

Felix shakes his head. "I've slept for far too long. I guess I'll force whoever's steering the ship to get off. I've been way too inactive." The brown-haired warrior throws the sheets off his body and leaves the room.

Piers follows suit. Felix recovers fast.

A/N: Thanks to Arina45 for the idea!


	48. Isaac and Garet: Faith

Isaac and Garet: Faith

"Why? Why us?"

Isaac and Garet are inside Vault's inn. They had arrived at the town just as the sun had set and had immediately gone to the inn to sleep for the night. But Isaac is far from tired, despite the traveling. He paces across the room in front of Garet, who sits on one of the beds.

"Why couldn't it have been someone else? We're only _seventeen_, Garet! What does he think he's doing, sending a bunch of kids to 'save the world'? Shouldn't he have chosen someone that actually makes sense. Like, I don't know, maybe an _adult_?" Isaac fumes. He is lost. He is confused. The Wise One is wrong to send him. The big chunk of rock is wrong.

Garet says nothing, just watches his friend pace across the room.

"I mean, he could have chosen _anyone_ from the village. One of the elders, one of the warriors, hell, even one of the healers! Why us? WHY US?"

Isaac stops in the middle of the room and turns toward his friend, looking for consolation. Garet stays quiet for a brief period, but soon replies.

"Does it matter why?" Garet never breaks eye contact with Isaac. He holds his gaze and Isaac can see a fire he had never seen in Garet's eyes ever before. "We have to save Jenna and Kraden. We have to confront Felix. If anyone else were to do it, it wouldn't mean anything. So it doesn't matter why."

Garet and Isaac hold each other's gaze until Garet breaks eye contact, saying that he will go to sleep because he was tired. But Isaac doesn't respond, just follows his friend and lies down in the other available bed.

Isaac stares at the ceiling long after Garet begins to snore. He's scared, he's worried, he has never felt so doubtful in his life. Isaac throws an arm over his eyes and a few stray tears escape his eyelids. He wonders if they will succeed. The uncertainty of the future is so stifling that Isaac forces himself to not think about it. Instead, he tries to find consolation in the steady breathing of his best friend in the next bed over and Garet's confident words chanted repeatedly in his head. It takes him a while, but he eventually goes to sleep.

The next day, Isaac and Garet meet a young boy named Ivan who can summon whirlwinds and read minds. Isaac thinks of Jenna, Kraden, and Felix, thinks of his doubts and his fears, then thinks of the words his best friend said.

_It doesn't matter why._

Isaac turns toward Ivan and tells him they will help him find his Rod. If Garet can have faith, Isaac thinks, then he will have faith, too.


	49. Garet and Ivan: Heartening

Garet and Ivan: Heartening

Garet wears his heart on his sleeve. If he is angry, he shows it. If he is happy, his large grin announces it to the world. If he is sad, then the big warrior isn't even afraid to cry (although he does feel the blow to his pride after the fact).

Ivan is not so. He is secretive and sensitive. He prefers to hide behind a smiling face because Ivan has read enough minds to know that he must create his own poker face if he does not wish to be deceived.

But even Ivan cannot hold his cheerful façade forever. Sometimes, late at night, when he believes everyone is sleeping, he takes out his Shaman's Rod, thinks of Kalay, and his body does not stop shaking. It is his tears that slowly lull him into slumber.

The next morning, Garet gives him a bigger portion of breakfast than usual. Then, he pats Ivan on the head and sits down next to him to scarf down his meal. Ivan is confused at Garet's strange actions when he remembers that Garet was the one on watch duty last night and Ivan feels embarrassed, thinking that the red-haired warrior will tease him.

But Garet remains silent, just continues eating his meal. Ivan had never felt more grateful toward a single person than he does now.

A few hours later, as the group travels to Fuchin Temple, Garet falls into step beside Ivan and proceeds to talk to him. Within minutes, Ivan is nearly falling off the beaten path from laughing so hard. As Ivan wipes tears of merriment from his eyes, the young orphan silently marvels at the ease with which the large warrior spreads joy.


	50. Jenna and Felix: Invincible

A/N: Dedicated to Droory, who really wanted another Jenna/Felix sibling love chapter.

Also, yay for 50th chapter :)

Jenna and Felix: Invincible

Jenna is not exactly the most typical example of a girl. She's not giggly and soft like Sheba, nor is she gentle and feminine like Mia. Jenna is intimidating and fearless. She is deadly grace and controlled power, concentrated strength and precise accuracy. She is a frontline fighter and a warrior, just like any of the boys.

That's why, even though Jenna seems to be severely outnumbered by an entire group of fierce-looking goblins, and even though she seems a little more frazzled than usual, and she may be harboring a wound on her side, Felix doesn't feel necessarily _compelled_ to save her.

Yes, Felix is definitely a little, teensy, bit concerned. But for a brief second, his sister's eyes lock onto his own, and a grin graces her features. Felix wants to laugh because he understands. Jenna is a warrior. Those goblins will be hard-pressed to land even one hit on her with or without his help.

But Jenna is also his sister, so even though Felix knows that she can _totally_ handle this on her own, he still grips his broadsword and enters the fray.

Not many people know this, but Felix's favorite thing to do is stand back-to-back with his fiery little sister and show the world that, together, they are _unstoppable._


	51. Sheba, Ivan, and Felix: Temptation

Sheba, Ivan, and Felix: Temptation

"Can we, Felix? Can we please?"

"No."

"But why? It's so cute!"

"No."

"Felix, just _look_ at it. It's adorable!"

"_No._"

The answer is absolute and from the look on his face, he is definitely not going to change his mind. Sheba pouts and Ivan sadly places the kitten back on the ground.

"Fine," they say simultaneously; the disappointment in their voices is apparent. The two Wind Adepts pet the kitten one last time, say their final goodbyes and leave.

Felix is about to leave, too, when he feels something brush up against his leg. He looks down and sees the tiny, brown and white cat nuzzling up against his ankle. The creature's large, grey eyes look up at him.

"Don't look at me like that."

The kitten purrs.

"Don't purr at me, either!"

The kitten opens its mouth wide and yawns, curling up next to the Venus Adept's foot. Felix stares at the tiny animal and hesitates. It really _is_ cute...

No. No, no, no. Absolutely not. Felix tears his gaze away from the sleeping creature and stalks away.

As Felix walks, he has this insanely strong urge to look back at the tiny animal. He considers it. He seriously considers it. But doesn't and feels a little guilty because of it.

Felix thinks that maybe, when this is all over, he'll get the two Jupiter Adepts a kitten; after all, they're quite fond of animals. (A part of him doesn't want to admit it, but maybe he'll get one for himself, too).

A/N: Thanks to Arina45 for the idea!


	52. Ivan, Jenna, and Piers: Contentment

Ivan, Jenna, and Piers: Contentment

Jenna likes being on deck with these two. Piers watches Ivan steer the ship, his long turquoise hair moving in the sea breeze. Ivan inhales the smell of the ocean and revels in the feeling of the wind and sea spray against his face. Jenna leans against the railing and watches the horizon. There is a moment where the three companions stop their appreciation of their surroundings in order to glance toward each other. Contented smiles grace their features as they lock eyes.

Jenna closes her eyes and leans her head back, basking in the moment. Her heart is filled with peace.


	53. Jenna and Isaac: Suffering

Jenna and Isaac: Suffering

According to Isaac, Jenna's favorite past time is teasing him. With her fiery hair and mischievous eyes she wreaks havoc upon his pride. She shares stories with Mia and Sheba, tests his masculinity in front of Felix and Piers, and pulls pranks on him with Garet and Ivan. She is a demon in disguise, evil incarnate, and fully aware of the distress she causes her childhood friend and _revels_ in his discomfort. Isaac can't do anything (it's Jenna, and she's scary), so he suffers in silence because what else is a man like Isaac to do?

According to Jenna, her favorite past time is _not _teasing Isaac. It's not embarrassing her friend in front of the entire team. And it's definitely not watching his face turn red at her bidding. No, her favorite past time is better than all these combined.

Isaac doesn't know this but Jenna's favorite past time is watching him smile. Because even though her incessant teasing causes his face to turn five shades of red (and that in itself is a source of satisfaction for Jenna), she can see—as he turns away—the corners of his mouth lift upward and Jenna feels like beaming for the rest of the day.

Isaac hates it when she teases him, but when he sees Jenna's triumphant grin (and her bright eyes and her loud laugh and how others laugh brightly alongside her) after a particularly embarrassing story, he can't help but think that maybe his suffering is worth it.


	54. Ivan, Sheba, Jenna, and Garet: Fear

A/N: As per Droory's request, a Halloween special for all!

Happy Halloween :)

Ivan, Sheba, Jenna, and Garet: Fear

Ivan's a really good storyteller. Especially when it is storming outside.

They are in an inn. Ivan and Garet had snuck into Sheba and Jenna's room because they were bored and unable to sleep, when Ivan suggested telling scary stories. Sheba and Garet had already gone. Needless to say, they both sucked. But now it's Ivan's turn, the lightning is flashing through the windows, the wind is making the whole building groan and Ivan has a really creepy look on his face. It is uncanny how well Ivan's expression suited the current atmosphere. Jenna, Garet, and Sheba all look at each other; they can feel the creepiness in the air.

"I-Ivan?" Sheba stutters. "Why do you look like that?"

"It was a dark and stormy night," Ivan begins. As if on cue, the thunder boomed throughout the whole inn. Sheba squeaked. Garet and Jenna are frozen in their spot.

"Little Abby was alone in her room. She was playing with her doll, a beautiful doll with long silky black hair and eyes shining like the greenest emeralds. When you looked at it, sometimes it would look like it was staring back.

"Abby loved this doll and liked to call her Esmeralda. Esmeralda was her only friend. Because when her mother would disappear for whole months and her father would pretend like Abby doesn't exist, Esmeralda would be the one to comfort her. Abby would hold her close to her chest and cry, cry, cry into the night and Esmeralda would lay in her arms, unmoving and lifeless."

The whole house shudders from the wind. The hair on Jenna's neck stands on end. She's not so sure scary stories are a good idea anymore.

"One day, Abby's mom had disappeared again and her father was in the living room, sitting there on the couch, unmoving like he always does. Abby goes up to her dad, smiling.

"'Daddy!' she says with a bright grin on her face. 'Look at the picture I made!'

"She tried to show him the picture she had scribbled on the piece of parchment she had in her hands, but her father just sat there, not even acknowledging his daughter. But little Abby wouldn't give up, she kept poking and prodding her dad, hoping to get him to notice her when, suddenly, her father grabbed her arm and yelled in her face, 'LEAVE ME ALONE!'"

"Stunned, little Abby stood there, frightened to her very bones. Her eyes welled up in tears and she pulled away, ran into her room and shut the door behind her.

"'I hate Daddy! I hate him, hate him, _hate him!'_ she accentuated that last phrase by picking up Esmeralda, her beloved doll and throwing her against the wall. Esmeralda crumpled to the floor, slumped against the wall Abby had thrown her against. Abby gasped and immediately picked up her friend and hugged her close to her chest.

"'Oh, Esmeralda! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!' She sobbed, sobbed, sobbed as she rocked her body back and forth, cradling the doll to her chest. She apologized over and over again.

"Little Abby was devastated that she had hurt her friend so. But then, she felt little arms slowly wrap itself around her neck and a whisper in her ear said, 'Don't worry, Abby. I forgive you.'"

Ivan pauses for dramatic effect. Garet's blood runs cold; he is fixated on Ivan's every word. A creepy smile stretches across Ivan's face, half-hidden by darkness, half exposed by the flash of lightning that shone through the windows. Sheba shudders at Ivan's expression.

"Abby was surprised. Did Esmeralda just talk to her? 'Esmeralda?' she whispered. Abby looked carefully at Esmeralda's body. She was still lifeless and unmoving. Just as she always had been. But slowly, but surely, Esmeralda's head turns jerkily toward Abby and her lifeless eyes stare straight into Abby's. 'We'll take care of your father. Together.'

A particularly loud crack of thunder booms throughout the building. Jenna buries her head in Garet's shoulder and Sheba grabs onto his arm. Garet is completely unmoving, except the slight shaking in his shoulders.

"Abby takes Esmeralda into her arms and opens the door out of her room. Step by step, she walks to her father who is still sitting on the couch, unbeknownst to her presence. Abby and Esmeralda reach out their hands toward him and—

"_**BOO!"**_ Ivan stomps his foot and yells into his friends' faces. Garet, Jenna, and Sheba all scream and scramble all over each other to get away from the blond Jupiter Adept, who is rolling on the floor from laughing so hard.

Almost immediately, the door to their room bursts open and Garet, Jenna, and Sheba scream once more.

"What is going on?!" Isaac yells. He looks around and sees Ivan rolling on the floor, cracking up, and Garet, Jenna, and Sheba huddled close together against the opposite wall, fearing for the lives.

Isaac surveys the scene once more, shakes his head and leaves, closing the door behind him. "I don't think I _want_ to know," he mumbles as he walks away.

He can _still _hear Ivan's laughter even after he closes the door to his own room.


	55. Garet and Isaac: Inspiration

A/N: Sequel to Ch. 15: "Bookworm"

Garet and Isaac: Inspiration

Garet puts the book Isaac had let him read down and breathes out a sigh. Now _that's_ a good book. The red-haired Fire Adept sits at his desk in his cabin, reveling in the feeling of finishing a good story.

A moment passes when Garet sees a pencil and a notebook on his nightstand, grabs it, and proceeds to write.

Isaac enters Garet's room and sees that the big oaf is asleep at his desk. Isaac considers kicking him awake when he sees the pile of papers next to the Fire Adept's drooling face. Curious, Isaac quietly picks up the paper, reads a few sentences, and is incredibly surprised. It's a story. Garet wrote a _story._ It's short, if the number of pages is any indication, but Isaac sits down on Garet's bed and proceeds to read.

It takes Isaac about two minutes to read the whole thing and the moment he puts the story down, he has to force himself to not crack up. Isaac feels a bit guilty for thinking this, but Garet is a terrible author. For example, the plot was absolutely laughable, the characters were horribly unrealistic, and it was so obvious that the story was actually about himself and everyone he knows. Gerard is Garet, Mary is Mia, Jasmine is Jenna, Shiba is Sheba, Iwan is Ivan, Picard is Piers, Robin is Isaac, and Garcia is Felix. (Where Garet thought of Robin and Garcia, Isaac has no idea, but he does commend the boy for being somewhat creative).

The Earth Adept puts the story back on Garet's desk where he found it and proceeds to quietly exit the room. Garet's an awful writer, but Isaac can't help but find the story sweet in it's own weird way. Smiling, he remembers the words Garet wrote.

_Once upon a time there was a boy named Gerard. This boy had red hair and was really muscular. Everyone in the town of Hale loved him because he was so strong and handsome. Even though everyone in town wanted to be Gerard's best friend, the only person Gerard really cared about was a wimpy little kid named Robin and this guy was Gerard's best friend…_

Isaac is definitely not wimpy, he knows that, but he's damn sure that he considers Garet to be his best friend, too.

A/N: Thanks to Droory for the idea!


	56. Garet, Isaac, and Ivan: Fanfiction

A/N: Companion/sequel to Ch. 55: "Inspiration"

Garet, Isaac, and Ivan: Fanfiction

Once upon a time there was a boy named Gerard. This boy had red hair and was really muscular. Everyone in the town of Hale loved him because he was so strong and handsome. Even though everyone in town wanted to be Gerard's best friend, the only person Gerard really cared about was a wimpy little kid named Robin and this guy was Gerard's best friend.

Robin and Gerard hung out all the time. One day, they were hanging out with each other at Gerard's house (oh yeah, and did I mention that Gerard was rich? Yeah, he's rich. Filthy stinking rich), eating his mom's cooking, when a girl bursts through the door. This girl had long red hair tied up in a ponytail and entered the house breathing fire. She picked a fight with Gerard for no reason other than that she was an evil, scary person.

The girl breathed fire in Gerard's face, but Gerard was not affected by it. "Sorry, Jasmine!" Gerard said. "I'm immune to fire because I'm a Fire Adept!"

Gerard then beat Jasmine and Jasmine lay on the floor, defeated. Robin clapped and cheered for Gerard. "Whoo! You're the best, Gerard!"

Then, a girl appeared next to Robin (she had always been there, didn't you guys know?) and she had blue hair and was super nice. Her name was Mary. She cheered for Gerard because she saw the whole fight and was really impressed. Gerard knows that she's in love with him, but Gerard feels bad because he doesn't like her like that, even though she's his best friend and Gerard wouldn't mind going out with her, but he doesn't want to ruin the friendship that they have so he doesn't say anything even though he doesn't really like her like that anyway. "Good job, Gerard!" Mary yelled.

Gerard did a somersault in the air and then bowed to the claps and cheers of his two best friends. Gerard is really athletic so he can do all kinds of flips and tricks and he's so flexible, he can touch his toes!

But Gerard and his friends soon got bored so they all decide to go visit Iwan, who was another fan of Gerard. Gerard only really ever talked to him whenever he felt like being nice to Iwan, but Iwan just followed him around anyway, not like Gerard cared.

Gerard knocked on Iwan's door and when Iwan answered, the shrimpy boy nearly fainted because he couldn't believe Gerard had actually come to his house. They all hung out in Iwan's house where Iwan's sister Shiba cooked them all some steak. But Gerard spat out the steak because it tasted horrible and Shiba ran out the door crying.

Mary got all mad at Gerard because he made Shiba cry and so Gerard decided to go and make her feel better. Gerard totally did make her feel better so that was cool, then they all went back to Iwan and Shiba's house to hang out again.

When they were all hanging out, a dude named Picard (I'm too lazy to describe him. He looks like Piers) enters the house and starts hanging out with them, too. Picard is pretty cool, he talks kind of funny, like he's all old and stuff, but he's a cool guy.

Everyone was having a great time when all of a sudden, some idiot blows off Iwan's door! Gerard immediately stood up to confront the intruder. It was Garcia, Jasmine's brother. Garcia was a monstrous guy who was almost as muscular as Gerard, but not quite. Gerard looked cooler anyway.

Garcia got really mad at Gerard because Gerard beat up his sister so the two get into an epic fight where Gerard eventually wins because Gerard is _so_ much stronger than Garcia. Gerard is about to finish Garcia off when Jasmine enters the house in tears.

"Stop! Don't hurt my brother, Gerard! It was wrong of me to pick a fight with you! Please forgive me!" Jasmine then gets on her knees in front of Gerard, begging forgiveness.

Gerard considers Jasmine's words. He's still pretty ticked off that she had tried to beat him up, but since Gerard is such a great guy, he forgives her anyway. He also forgives Garcia because Garcia admitted defeat and realized that Gerard was so much cooler than him and just wants to be Gerard's friend.

The eight of them all hang out in Iwan's house and everyone lives happily ever after.

Until an old guy that nobody cares about named Sclater enters the house and joins all the kids who are hanging out.

The End.

* * *

Garet puts down his pencil, stretches, and smiles triumphantly. Now, _this _is what all stories should look like. He'd have to hide this from Isaac and everyone else on the ship (Garet shudders at the thought of all the teasing he'll get if anyone finds out that he just wrote a story), but _man_ he's a good writer!

Garet reads over his pride and joy when he starts to feel a little sleepy. Working nonstop on a story for a few hours really takes a lot out of you. He decides to put his head down on the desk and take a quick nap.

Little does he know that, after he falls asleep, Isaac enters his room and picks up his manuscript. The blond haired Earth Adept reads it and sneaks out of the room, immediately grabbing Ivan, who also takes a peek at the Fire Adept's silly attempt at a story. Ivan is not even halfway through when he has to run out of the room because he is laughing so hard.

After taking the time to control their laughter outside of Garet's door, they head back into the room, manuscript in hand, and wait for their friend to wake up. Garet is in for the teasing of a _lifetime._

A/N: All shall bow their heads at Garet's superior writing skillz.


	57. Mia and Piers: Healing

Mia and Piers: Healing

Mia likes to think that she and Piers are capable of healing any wound their companions receive. She likes to think that no matter how close to death their friends are, they can still call upon Mercury to bring them back from darkness, together. She likes to think that her friends are safe under their watchful eyes.

The Imilian cleric watches as Isaac's shoulder is ripped open from the talons of a particularly vicious Seafowl. She watches as Piers casts a simple Ply and Isaac's shoulder is good as new.

She watches as Piers turns toward her and gives her a friendly wink. Mia grins back.

Mia likes to think that she and Piers can heal any wound their companions receive, but that's not true. What _is_ true is that she has _faith_ that her companions are strong enough to not receive any wound that she and Piers can't handle.

Mia believes that this is the definition of true camaraderie.


	58. Ivan and Isaac: Growth

Ivan and Isaac: Growth

"Isaac, you've grown a lot." Ivan sits down next to Isaac. The group has not reached Contigo yet and they opted to camp out underneath the stars. They know they will reach Jupiter Lighthouse tomorrow at mid-day if they move quickly, and move quickly they shall. Isaac has had enough of trailing behind _them_, and he's quite sure the rest of his companions feel the same way. They will get their questions answered, even if it means violence.

The pair watches the wind blow through the grass. Isaac likes it here. Even though it's windy, the soil is rich and the earth is the perfect combination of hard and soft. Hard and immovable, yet soft and yielding; the perfect soil for harvest.

"What do you mean?" Isaac isn't sure he wants to hear Ivan's reply. He's the fearless leader, after all. He doesn't want to hear about his mess-ups from the beginning of the journey.

"When I first met you, you were hesitant and sensitive. When I read your mind back then, your heart was full of bitterness and sadness. You wanted to go back home." Isaac listens, although off-handedly. He wonders where Ivan is trying to go with this.

"But, now, you're not that sensitive anymore. Nor are you hesitant. Nothing seems to shake you. You're like a boulder now."

"I'm like a boulder, huh?" Isaac thinks about this and smiles slightly. "Well, you've grown a lot, too, Ivan."

"Have I?"

"Yeah. You're like a cyclone. Impossibly strong and destructive, yet you don't stay that way for long. Eventually you go back to the breeze you were."

Ivan laughs out loud. "That's corny."

"Says the guy who said I'm like a boulder."

"Well, you are."

"And you're a cyclone."

A moment of contented silence stretches between the two friends.

"We'll succeed tomorrow." Isaac says this like a statement because it's true. It _needs_ to be true.

"Yeah, we will. After all, what can stand between a boulder and a cyclone?"

Isaac thinks about it and decides that nothing can.


	59. Mia and Isaac: Swimming

Mia and Isaac: Swimming

"You have to learn to swim _some _time."

"Does it really have to be _now?"_

"C'mon, Isaac, there's really nothing to be afraid of. Just go in. I promise you won't drown."

"I _can_—kind of—swim, Mia."

"Oh yeah? What about Mercury Lighthouse? When you wouldn't reach the platforms in time and you were dunked back into the water? You can't possibly call _that_ swimming."

"I was able to keep afloat!"

"Isaac, if you don't go into the water, I swear I will push you!"

"Mia, don't you dare. Mia? Mia! Sto—"

A large splash disturbed the peaceful waters of the lake and a triumphant Mia grins down at the struggling Earth Adept, who is flailing all of his limbs to keep afloat.

"Okay, Isaac, make sure you're using your legs to keep your head above the water, not just your arms!"

Mia nods her head and watches Isaac attempt to keep afloat. It's about time he learned how to swim properly and the best way to learn is to just do it, right?

A/N: Thanks to Arina45 for the idea! :)


	60. Felix and Piers: Water

Felix and Piers: Water

Felix steps onto the Lemurian boat, feels the rocking underneath his feet, and immediately wishes he were back on land. There is a flood of emotion that runs through him and he can't stop it, so everything floods his entire being and he helpless under the pressure. The memory of uncontrollable rivers and Jenna's tear-stained face flash through his mind and Felix actually freezes up.

A hand touches his shoulder and a voice calls his name. "Are you okay?"

Felix can feel the rocking under his feet and when he closes his eyes he can actually feel water pressing down on him and he can't breathe, he can't breathe, he can't breathe.

Another hand touches his other shoulder and the voice calls his name a little more urgently.

Felix sees Sheba slowly drifting away from him, and Sheba is actually Jenna and Jenna is on the riverbank, screaming his name, but Felix can't swim against the current. He can't _do anything_.

The hands shake him slightly, but firmly. "Felix!"

Felix opens his eyes and sees Piers's concerned expression. "What's wrong?"

Felix looks around, grunts, and says, "I'm fine."

He turns away from his companion and steps out onto the deck. The rocking of the ship and the water turns his stomach inside out, but he'll tough it out. He needs to tough it out.

Piers watches Felix—watches him shake and shudder and force himself to stop—and frowns.

A/N: Thanks to Arina45 for the idea!


	61. Piers and Felix: Honesty

A/N: Sequel to Ch. 60: "Water".

Piers and Felix: Honesty

It is the fifth day on the ship and Felix's face is as pale as the moment they first set sail. He does his best, but Piers can see it, and so can Kraden and Jenna and Sheba. No one wants to say anything because Felix is scary when it comes to prying into his emotions, but everyone can sense the struggle that Felix is fighting and it's affecting the group's morale. But Piers is convinced that _something _must be done because if Felix can't hold it together than the group can't hold it together, either, and that can't happen during a journey like this one. Plus, the Lemurian believes that he is the only one who _can_ do it because if there is anyone Felix will listen to, it's him.

So, the aqua-haired captain decides to approach his fearless leader and finally force the stubborn Adept to confront his predicament. It doesn't take him very long to find him; Felix is on the deck. But, he is also shaking as he tries to get used to the miles and miles of water surrounding him and the feeling of the rocking boat underneath his feet. Piers can literally see the struggle Felix is going through underneath his calm exterior and knows that enough is enough.

"Felix, are you afraid of water?" Piers asks bluntly. There's no need to dance around the subject; Piers knows Felix hates that the most.

Felix is silent, but his face is still pale and his body is still shaking. Piers ignores Felix's silence and stays persistent.

"Is it because of what happened three years ago?"

"I'm fine," Felix says tersely. Piers wants to roll his eyes. Felix is such a damn liar.

"Felix, you're not okay. Look at you! I've never seen you so pale," the Mercury Adept pushes.

"I'm fine!" Felix is angry, Piers can tell. But Piers can also tell that he is most angry at himself. And Piers can't take it anymore.

"Would you listen to yourself?!" Piers yells. "You're obviously _not okay!_ You're shaking and you're pale and you're forcing yourself every moment you stand on this ship! You haven't had a good night's sleep in nearly a week and you expect me to believe you when you say that you're _"okay"_?! I can't believe you!"

Felix stares at Piers, speechless. Piers can't blame him. He surprised himself with the force of his words.

"Felix…you're not okay." Piers says, more gently this time. "It's okay to admit it."

Felix is silent for a very long time, but his body is still shaking. He hangs his head.

"I can't do anything," he says, finally, his voice shaking. Piers stays silent and waits for the hardened man to open up himself. "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get back to Jenna, I couldn't fight against the current." A pause. "I was…barely able to save Sheba.

"When I'm in water, I can't do anything. I can't stop Jenna tears and I can't save myself, let alone anyone else. I hate it." Felix hands his head further and his long hair covers his face from Piers's view. His voice comes out in a whisper. "I hate it."

Piers lays his hand on Felix's shaking shoulder and they stay like this for a while. Felix shaking, and Piers comforting. Piers thinks he sees a drop of water appear on the floor in front of Felix's feet, but he also thinks it may have just been sea spray.

The next day, Piers is steering the ship when Felix approaches him early in the morning. He stands on the deck, sturdy, strong, and resilient and Piers is relieved because the fearless leader is back to himself.

Felix demands that Piers teach him how to steer the ship and the sailor, smiling, acquiesces.


	62. Isaac and Sheba: Sunshine

Isaac and Sheba: Sunshine

There is something about the small Jupiter Adept that completely captures the heart of everyone around her. Isaac had been more than a little surprise to see the soft expression with which Felix had gazed at her and the affectionate smiles Piers had given her and the easy laugh and bright conversation Jenna had with her. She easily won the heart of Garet with her quick wit and easy humor. She and Ivan had become little less than siblings, what with the time they spend together. And, with Mia, she easily won the gentle healer over in little less than a day.

And, Isaac…Well, Isaac is one of those people who couldn't help but fall in love with her charm right from the very beginning.

It happened when he met her in Babi's tower. She had looked so small and so alone in that large guest room Babi had locked her in. He knew she was struggling with her situation, he could see her brewing with bitterness and sadness and sorrow. But when Isaac and his group approached her, she had turned to them with a smile that rivaled the sun and it was almost like she wasn't being held against her will and that Babi wasn't using her for his own selfish purposes. Isaac had marveled, even then, at the strength the little girl had exhibited and thought about her for a long time afterward.

Isaac is in the common area, looking over maps that Felix had requested he look over and Sheba plops onto the couch next to him. She greets him with a bright smile and a warm hello.

Isaac puts the maps down. He knows he shouldn't because Felix had requested he finish looking them over by that evening, but this is Sheba and she is smiling and she is bright and beautiful and strong all wrapped up into one tiny package of explosive charm.

Felix can't possibly expect him to finish these maps when there is a little ball of sunshine sitting next to him, smiling at him with the intensity of a million stars.


	63. Mia and Jenna: Love

Mia and Jenna: Love

Maybe it's because Mia is the complete opposite of Jenna.

Mia is soft and graceful, infinitely patient and overwhelmingly kind. With the power of Mercury, she heals wounds. With her gentle smile, she heals souls. Mia is an angel in every sense, goodness manifest, and the epitome of every kind of healer.

Jenna is bright and energetic, boundless strength and explosive temper. With the power of Mars, she downs her enemies. With a smirk on her lips and a confident hand on her hip, she defines power. She is strength and hope and optimism wrapped into one and _no one_ can tell her any different.

Jenna likes who she is, but it is the patient cleric who shows her that there is always room for improvement. Jenna is not gentle (she gets this from Felix), but with a kind and delicate hand, she places her hands over Isaac's chest and soothes his pain-wracked body and heals his wounds.

The female Fire Adept would be the last person anyone would expect to be a healer, but it is Mia who shows her that anything is possible. It is Mia who looks past Jenna's burning personality, reaches into her soul within and awakens the dormant gentleness sleeping inside the fiery girl's heart.

It is Mia who shows her the power of a gentler and quieter love and it is Mia who teaches her how to use it.


	64. Piers, Felix, Jenna, and Sheba: Hope

A/N: I almost didn't want to update.

This chapter is dedicated to my family in the Philippines. I'm praying for you all. You're not alone, I promise. You're not going through this alone.

Piers, Felix, Jenna, and Sheba: Hope

She was all he really had. In the midst of the monochrome apathy of the once-great Lemuria, she was the one splash of color. She was life and hope and optimism and everything Piers believed was good. She was his mother. The one who, despite her sickly body and frail disposition, still found strength to raise him with all the love she could possibly give. The one who, despite her environment, gave him something to believe in.

Piers hates this tombstone that marks her grave. It's grey and lonely and despondent and it's the complete opposite of who she is. A slab of rock can't represent her. Piers wants to break the offending object. Wants to tear it apart with his Tundra Psynergy and dig up his mother's body and put her in a place that actually suits who she is (_was. _The word flashes through Piers's mind and nearly suffocates him).

Piers stares at the tombstone and all he can do is shake his head and pretend that she's not in the ground, believe that she's actually still alive, waiting for him to come home. "No, no, no," he whispers. He whispers this word like a mantra, like it's the only thing keeping him sane because it is. He whispers it like his vision isn't blurry, like his breathing isn't shaky. He whispers it like she isn't gone because she can't be gone. She can't.

The Lemurian clenches his eyes shut and shakes his head vigorously. He feels a hand on his shoulder and he thinks he senses the presence of Felix, Jenna, and Sheba behind him. And that is when the floodgates open. Because the presence of those three mean that he is not dreaming. It means that his reality is set now. His mother is gone, and there's nothing he can do.

Piers collapses onto his knees and cries cries cries into the ground, in front of his mother's grave, in front of the only family he ever had.

It takes a long time for Piers to finish crying, but when he looks up, they are still there. Felix, Jenna, and Sheba are still there. They are there and alive and tangible—Felix is holding his hand out to him and Sheba is fighting back tears and Jenna is smiling sadly at him—and Piers knows that, in their own way, they are sharing his pain.

He thinks that maybe he isn't alone, after all.

A/N: I reject the notion that Piers moved on from his mother so quickly as was shown in the games. I don't care if this is not consistent with canon. This was the one thing I don't think the games portrayed well at all, and I refuse to think that Piers's mother was just a little part of him because that can't possibly be true.


	65. Ivan and Sheba: Morning

Ivan and Sheba: Morning

Sheba always wakes up very early. Well, not always. Sometimes, when she's up late at night talking with Piers or Jenna or Felix, she tends to sleep in. But, usually, she wakes up early enough so that the sun had not yet peaked over the horizon.

Today is one of those days where she wakes up very early. She throws her blankets and sheets off her body and pads quietly out of the room she shares with Jenna and Mia. She noiselessly closes the door behind her when she turns around and is face-to-face with Ivan. Sheba almost lets out a yelp.

"You scared me!" she whispers, placing a hand on her chest.

Ivan yawns before giving her a crooked smile. He scratches his head. "Sorry."

The two Jupiter Adepts stand in the hallway, silent. It is Sheba who speaks first.

"You're awake early."

"I usually wake up at this time. I like watching the sunrise."

Sheba grins because she likes watching the sunrise, too. "Would you like to watch it together?"

Ivan grins back. "I'd love to."

When they reach the deck—and the sky grows lighter and lighter and the yellow orb peaks slowly over the horizon and breaks the clouds and stretches its fingers over the sea—Sheba and Ivan watch quietly side by side.

Sheba doesn't know why because she and Ivan just met just over a week ago, but she has this intense feeling that the family of five that comprised of her, Jenna, Felix, Piers, and Kraden, now has a new addition.

Sheba doesn't need Psynergy to know that Ivan feels the same way.


End file.
